Thursday

Keeper Ines, who runs the front desk, opens a worn notebook. "I count the people at the workbenches every evening," she says.

Comet reads over her shoulder. "Look! The busiest evenings are workshop evenings. Let's have a workshop every single night!"

Wren runs a finger down the columns. "What do you notice? Some members come to the benches for quiet work, not for workshops."

"Oh," Comet says. "Then a workshop every night might crowd them out."

Nova lights up the two tables on the wall. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "Look for what changes over time, and what goes together."

Keeper Ines smiles at you. "Data analyst, what do these pages tell us?"

Data give people chances to spot trends, make connections and address problems.

In this course, a trend is a pattern of change, such as a count that rises week after week.

A connection is two things that seem to go together, such as busy evenings and workshop evenings.

Keeper Ines's notebook, page one. This is made-up data from the Commons Count story.

Page two shows week 4, evening by evening. It is also made up for the story.

The notebook shows that busy evenings and workshop evenings line up. It does not say why.

It also says nothing about what members want the Commons to add next. Nobody has been asked yet.

Before a big decision, a careful analyst asks what the data leave out.

Not every effect of a decision is expected in advance.

One effect can be helpful to some people and harmful to others, or even both to the same person.

A workshop every night could help members who love workshops. It could crowd out members who come for quiet bench time.

Sharp reading. Tomorrow is Impact Friday, where you look at how data can change what people do.