The document addresses challenges faced by data teams at Blue Shell Games, including limited access to data and the lack of actionable insights. It proposes empowering all departments to analyze data independently and emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions and implementing effective metrics. By creating a culture of data literacy and accessibility, the document asserts that data can significantly enhance decision-making and profitability.

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3. Demystifying Data
PALLAS HORWITZ
SENIOR DATA SCIENTIST
BLUE SHELL GAMES

4. What is wrong with being overwhelmed by
data?
• Problem:
• Only data team members are comfortable accessing and analyzing the data
• Data teams spend too much time pulling data instead of driving ROI positive
insights
• Executive team does not value data driven decisions
• Solution:
• Identify the analytic needs of every department
• Create infrastructure and culture that empowers departments to perform
simple analyses autonomously

5. Blue Shell Games, LLC

6. Problem 1: “I can’t access the data”
Common Causes:
• The visual report is broken or out of date
• The user doesn’t have access to the
database
• The user doesn’t know where to find the
relevant data

7. Problem 2: “We don’t have that data”
Common Causes:
• Asking the wrong question
• Lack of Metrics QA
• The requested data is not actionable

8. Problem 3: “A/B Testing is too hard”
Common Causes:
• Business intuition leads to the same
conclusions as the A/B test results
• Test results are too fuzzy and p-values are
statistically insignificant
• Even statistically significant results won’t
change the product roadmap

9. Solution: Empower everyone to be a data
consumer
• Identify the needs of every
department
• Anyone can do simple SQL
• Data Standardization
Document:
• Database Logins
• Template Queries
Data
Product
Engineering
QA
Community

10. Product Solution
Result:
• Only the “right” questions are asked
• “Is my feature making
money?”
• High Level Statistics
• DAU, Installs, ARPDAU, Payers,
Conversion
• Trends: DoD, WoW, 2Wo2W,
MoM
• Read Every Spec!

11. Engineering Solution
• “What do I need to
implement?”
• Act as translator
• Metrics Spec
Result:
• Useful data is collected and proxies are available for
missing metrics

12. QA Solution
• “How do I test this?”
• A feature is not complete until
metrics are implemented and
QA’d
• Setup user friendly metrics
logs
Result:
• Implemented metrics act as intended

13. Community Solution
• “How do I keep players
engaged?”
• Tailor contests to in-game
activity
• Have contest entries
queryable
Result:
• Marketing decisions are informed by actual player behavior

14. Data Solution
• “How can I contribute to the
bottom line?”
• Naïve customer
segmentation can greatly
impact revenue
• Only implement tests that will
affect change
User Segment Revenue Delta p-value
non payer -34% 0.45
payer 137% 0.02
small whale 65% 0.16
whale -43% 0.23
all -6% 0.8
Result:
• Data improves the bottom line and drives product change

15. Pallas Horwitz
pallas@blueshellgames.com
pallas.horwitz@gmail.com

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