What Does It Actually Mean to Make Data Feel Human?

Maybe the better question is how it feels when it doesn’t.

That uneasy moment when a brand seems to know a little too much, or when a recommendation feels robotic instead of relevant. These are signs that something is missing in the way data is being used.

Too often, data is treated as a shortcut to results instead of a bridge to understanding. The goal becomes efficiency, not empathy, and that’s where the disconnect happens.

For me, making data feel more human means designing experiences that reflect how people actually think, feel, and live. It means asking ourselves:

• Is this clear and honest?

• Is this respectful and timely?

• Does this feel like something made for me, or at me?

It also means thinking carefully about how we ask for data, not just what we do with it. A confusing form or consent checkbox may technically be compliant, but it doesn’t build trust.

It’s not the technology that makes data human. It’s the intent, and the questions that guide it.

If we want people to trust us with their data, we have to design systems that trust them back. Through The Data Human, I’m working to reimagine how trust, empathy, and technology can coexist in the way brands collect and use data.

#TheDataHuman #DataEthics #HumanCentredDesign #DigitalStrategy #PrivacyByDesign #EmpathyInTech