The Power of Data - Turning Doubt into Buy-In
Introducing change across multiple teams, departments, and product spaces can often feel like pushing a boulder uphill. Even if your idea is solid, it can be tough to get people to see the value right away. So how do you cut through the skepticism and tell a story that drives meaningful change for your users and your organization?
The answer: data.
The Case for Data
Opinions are easy to dismiss. But data gives your ideas something to stand on. It helps you show the size of a problem, back up your recommendations, and shift the conversation from “I think” to “Here’s what we know.”
Jim Barksdale, the former CEO of Netscape, summed it up when he said:
“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.”
It’s a clever way of saying that without data, decisions often come down to whoever has the strongest voice. But when you bring research to the table, it changes the dynamic. You’re no longer debating opinions, instead you’re focusing on what users actually need.
A Real-World Example: Integration Support at Paycor
In a recent UX research initiative, a fellow designer and I (hi Joe!) set out to better understand our internal Integration users. We wanted to identify pain points and find ways to improve the experience. One issue stood out: internal CX teams were struggling to support client integrations.
CX associates couldn’t easily identify which integrations a client had, who owned and supported them, or whether they were even turned on. This caused confusion, delays, and frustration.
One quote that really stuck with me from one of the interviews was when someone said, “When it comes to the things that we've put under this interoperability, whether it's integrations, the developer portal, when [CX associates] hear those words, they kind of get a little scared.”
It was honestly troubling to hear that users felt intimidated by terms directly tied to my portfolio. It made me realize how important it is to bridge that gap and make these tools, services, and products feel more approachable.
So I came up with a solution, a centralized hub that solved for these issues. It seemed obvious. But getting buy-in from teams who were used to doing things their own way wasn't.
So, I presented the data:
8 in-depth interviews revealed a consistent pain point: lack of visibility, ownership and clear support channels for Paycor Integrations.
We surveyed nearly 250 CX Associates and the results were striking:
Only 2.5% strongly agreed they could identify a client's integrations.
Just 3.3% felt confident troubleshooting integration issues.
Only 2.1% were clear on which team owned each integration.
30+ unprompted mentions of unclear support channels and lack of visibility.
These numbers and presentation of real user struggle changed the conversation and the position of once-wary stakeholders. That data helped shift the conversation. The problem wasn’t just a hunch anymore—it was real, and it was affecting people’s work. And it was agreed that my solution was a necessary step toward creating a more cohesive Paycor Integration ecosystem.
Takeaways
Getting buy-in isn’t about being the loudest in the room, it’s about showing the problem clearly and proving your idea can solve it. Data helps you do that. It builds trust, aligns teams, and turns doubt into buy-in.