So, What Actually is “Insight”?

Insight Puzzle Pieces…

The term ”Insight” gets used a lot these days. We hear it in meetings, see it in reports and is used in many different contexts.

For me, insight isn’t just about data or research. It’s more like that moment when all those numbers, reports, and bits of feedback start to tell a story. It’s when the puzzle pieces that don’t mean much on their own, become something usable and directive. It might come from your own data, but it can also come from market reports, what people are saying online and more.

what is insight?

When I think about insight, I tend to see it in two ways: contextual insight and actionable insight. Both are useful, but they play different roles.

Contextual Insight: Setting the Scene

Contextual insight, for me, is about helping to make sense of things. It gives you the lay of the land. Like when analytics shows that “80% of visitors are on mobile devices.” That’s good to know. It sets the scene and helps people understand what’s happening.

Whether it’s your own data, from an industry report or feedback from a customer survey, it doesn’t always give you a direct answer, but it does help everyone get on the same page.

Actionable Insight: Driving Decisions and Change

Actionable insight goes beyond understanding a situation. It tells you what needs to happen next. It’s about translating data that edges towards meaningful, strategic decision.

Going back to the mobile website example, a basic actionable insight might be:

“Since 80% of our visitors are on mobile, we need to prioritise a mobile-first design for the next website update.”

But let’s go deeper. A more directive insight might come from looking at additional data points, like:

• Time spent on pages – If mobile users are spending less time on key pages compared to desktop users, it might indicate that the content is too long or difficult to navigate on smaller screens. Solution? Streamline text, improve readability, and simplify the mobile layout.

• Customer feedback – Maybe feedback reveals that while visitors browse on mobile, they actually find it easier to complete purchases on a laptop due to a clunky checkout experience. Solution? Optimise the mobile checkout process to reduce friction and increase conversions.

• User behaviour insights – Heatmaps or click-tracking tools could show that mobile users are struggling to tap certain buttons or are abandoning the process at a specific step. Solution? Improve UI elements, reposition call to actions and reduce unnecessary form fields.

The key difference? A deeper insight doesn’t just tell you what’s happening - it tells you exactly what needs fixing and how to fix it. That’s when insight becomes truly powerful.

Why do Research?

When I talk about insight, it’s not just from one source. There’s data, of course, but also analytics to identify patterns, secondary research to outside perspective, and sometimes digging into what people are saying online.

For me, it’s like putting together a puzzle. Each bit of data or research is a piece, and insight is when it all comes together to show the bigger picture.

It’s All About Knowing What You Need.

I find it really helps to know what kind of insight you’re looking for. Are you setting the scene with some context, or are you trying to make a decision and move things forward? It can save a lot of head-scratching and help make sure everyone’s on the same wavelength.

What Do You Think?

That’s just my take. How would you describe ‘insight’? Do you have any examples where insight has helped steer a decision or change your approach? I’d love to hear your thoughts - pop a comment.