The Rise of the Data Natives

[Commentary] Today we are witnessing a new revolution, this time of “data natives” who expect their world to be “smart” and seamlessly adapt to them and their taste and habits.

• While digital natives were most concerned with what they can do with technology, data natives are more concerned about what that technology can do for them.
• Digital natives program their thermostat. Data natives expect the thermostat to program itself. Digital natives use the Starbucks mobile app. Data natives want the app to know their favorite drinks -- and when to suggest a new one.
• Digital natives use a cloud-connected baby monitor. Data natives expect their baby monitor to automatically calculate crying percentiles based on millions of other babies.

The data-native revolution is on the rise as the appetite for data-driven products keeps growing stronger. From connected homes to wearables, people expect their lives to be better, richer and easier due to an explosion of networked devices (50 billion of them by 2020, according to Cisco).

So we need data scientists, data engineers, data designers, people who “get” both data and the product experience, people who are creative with data and who have empathy for the wider audience that’s now represented and shaped by the data natives. In response to the oft-cited McKinsey Global Institute report anticipating unfulfilled demand for 190,000 big-data positions, data-science education programs have proliferated within traditional universities, MOOCs, large companies and incubator-style training programs.

[Rogati is vice president of data at Jawbone]