Houston Nonprofit Tableau User Group with Karinna Spitalnik 1/19/24

1. Asking Better Questions
Tableau User Group Presentation

2. But first, let’s get acquainted…
Karinna Spitalnick, PhD
Analytics Consultant

3. 20 QUESTIONS:
( w e l l , m a y b e 1 0 q u e s t i o n s … )
Guess the superhero
Image by Robert Torres / Unsplash
sites.google.com/view/rtdesign

4. Image by Robert Torres / Unsplash
Natasha Romanoff
AKA Black Widow

5. WHAT MAKES STRONG
QUESTIONS?
• Personal
• Specific
• Within Context
• Progressively Complex
PERSONAL
What’s one thing you are looking forward to
this week?
What’s your favorite item on/near your desk?
Mountains or Ocean? Music or podcasts?

6. WHAT MAKES STRONG
QUESTIONS?
• Personal
• Specific
• Within Context
• Progressively Complex
SPECIFIC
What’s the top priority I can help you with
today?
What area can I offer the most support
this week?
What’s one task you are feeling
overwhelmed with on this project?

7. WHAT MAKES STRONG
QUESTIONS?
• Personal
• Specific
• Within Context
• Progressively Complex
WITHIN CONTEXT
What visual elements are distracting from
the focus of this dashboard?
If you had to redo this project/process
again, what are 2 things you’d do
differently?
After our meeting last week, what’s one
lingering question or issue you are still
feeling unsettled about?

8. WHAT MAKES STRONG
QUESTIONS?
• Personal
• Specific
• Within Context
• Progressively Complex
PROGRESSIVELY COMPLEX
Who are the consumers of this dashboard?
Hold persona meetings
What are 3 major pain points with your
current solution?
Gather input
Which do you prefer : an exploratory view of
your data or a prescriptive view?

9. Started in 1996, InterWorks was founded on the simple idea of doing work we love all
while having fun. Paired with a drive for absolute client satisfaction, this culture
earned us a reputation as the best IT solutions provider in the region. Today, we're
known across the globe for our deep expertise in all facets of tech.
1996
InterWorks founded
in Stillwater, OK
2001
InterWorks becomes
Dell partner
2009
InterWorks becomes
first Tableau partner
2013
InterWorks EU
is formed
2018
InterWorks expands to
Australia and
Singapore
THE INTERWORKS STORY
2020
InterWorks becomes
first Salesforce +
Tableau Global
Partner

10. What areas do you find
yourself asking questions?

11. QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWER
The important and difficult job is never to find the right
answers. It is to find the right question. For there are
few things as useless-if not dangerous-as the right
answer to the wrong question."
- Peter Drucker

12. ASKING BETTER
QUESTIONS
• People First
• Heart of the Matter
• Questions in the Weeds

13. ASKING BETTER
QUESTIONS
• People First
• Heart of the Matter
• Questions in the Weeds

14. ASKING BETTER
QUESTIONS
• People First
• Heart of the Matter
• Questions in the Weeds

15. People First

16. PEOPLE FIRST
Questions that get to know
your client, users, or audience

17. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity Questions

18. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity Questions
• Attentive
• Responsive
• Empathetic
• Inviting

19. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity Questions
• Attentive
• Responsive
• Empathetic
• Inviting

20. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity Questions
• Attentive
• Responsive
• Empathetic
• Inviting

21. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity Questions
• Attentive
• Responsive
• Empathetic
• Inviting

22. CURIOSITY QUESTIONS
• What’s your recent guilty pleasure TV show?
• What’s your favorite fast-food chain?
• What’s one thing I can help you with today?
• What are you feeling confident about on this project?

23. PEOPLE FIRST
Curiosity questions establish
trust and help you learn the
dynamics of a team.

24. Heart of the Matter

25. HEART OF THE
MATTER
What do you need? (x5)

26. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Questions that guide the
conversation around strategy,
process, or the root of the
problem

27. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Exploratory Questions

28. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Exploratory Questions
• Inquisitive
• Non-judgmental
• Keyword listening
• Paraphrasing

29. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Exploratory Questions
• Inquisitive
• Non-judgmental
• Keyword listening
• Paraphrasing

30. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Exploratory Questions
• Inquisitive
• Non-judgmental
• Keyword listening
• Paraphrasing

31. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Exploratory Questions
• Inquisitive
• Non-judgmental
• Keyword listening
• Paraphrasing

32. EXPLORATORY QUESTIONS
• What business outcome do you hope to achieve?
• What happens if we don’t try this [solution or tool]?
• What impact do you expect this solution to have?
• If you would fix one business problem today, what would it be?
• If you could look ahead 6 months from now, what are 2 major
improvements you would like to be celebrating?

33. HEART OF THE
MATTER
Don’t be afraid of asking too
many questions. There is
value in reaching the core.

34. In the Weeds

35. IN THE WEEDS
What is your biggest obstacle
in dashboard development?

36. IN THE WEEDS
Questions that collect,
synthesize, and give
actionable steps

37. IN THE WEEDS
Actionable Questions

38. IN THE WEEDS
Actionable Questions
• Solutioning
• Iterative
• Specific categories
• Variety of responses

39. IN THE WEEDS
Actionable Questions
• Solutioning
• Iterative
• Specific categories
• Variety of responses

40. IN THE WEEDS
Actionable Questions
• Solutioning
• Iterative
• Specific categories
• Variety of responses

41. IN THE WEEDS
Actionable Questions
• Solutioning
• Iterative
• Specific categories
• Variety of responses

42. SAMPLE Qs IN DASHBOARD DEVELOPMENT

43. https://interworks.com/ucdd-workshop-2/

44. ACTIONABLE QUESTIONS
• What are the metrics you need to make decisions?
• How frequently do you need to see those metrics?
• What are the pain points for your end users? What do they like/don’t
like about the current report?
• Describe the persona of your end users? What is their data literacy
level?
• What’s working well here in the [design, interactivity, chart types]?
What would be improved?
• What is your plan for implementation and/or training users on this
dashboard?

45. IN THE WEEDS
The more questions you
ask, the more you simplify
the work.

46. The Final Qs

47. GETTING BETTER
What we actually learned
playing ‘Guess Who?’

48. GETTING BETTER
How do I get better at
asking questions?

49. GETTER BETTER
Back Pocket Questions

50. GETTER BETTER
Back Pocket Questions
• Collect
• Critique
• Combine

51. GETTER BETTER
Back Pocket Questions
• Collect
• Critique
• Combine

52. GETTER BETTER
Back Pocket Questions
• Collect
• Critique
• Combine

53. GETTER BETTER
The dirty little secret

54. GETTER BETTER
The best question might not
be questions at all.
Get good at listening.

55. OUR PARTNERS
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We partner with dozens of other great vendors, covering all facets of tech.

56. I N C O N C L U S I O N … W A N T T O W O R K W I T H U S ?
www.interworks.com/contact
W A N T T O J O I N O U R T E A M ?
www.interworks.com/careers
W A N T T O L E A R N F R O M U S ?
www.interworks.com/blog
@interworks
• Prioritize getting to know your client.
• You can’t ask too many questions.
• The more you ask, the more you
simplify the work.
• The best questions might not be
questions.
Contact me: kspitalnick@interworks.com