/insight-synthesis

Insight Framework

What makes a finding an insight?

A finding states what happened. An insight explains why it matters and what to do about it.

The three elements that transform a finding into an insight:

1. The pattern — what the data shows
2. The explanation — why it is happening (or the most likely cause)
3. The implication — what it means for a decision or action

Insight types

Descriptive insight: What is happening and how big is it? Use for: establishing baselines, communicating current state.

Diagnostic insight: Why is it happening? Use for: root cause analysis, understanding drivers.

Predictive insight: What is likely to happen? Use for: forecasting, risk identification, planning.

Prescriptive insight: What should we do? Use for: recommendations, business cases.

A complete analytical package often contains all four types. Don't stop at descriptive — that's reporting, not analysis.

The so-what test

After every finding, ask: "So what?" If you can't answer it, the finding isn't ready to share.

Three times test: Ask "so what?" three times. By the third, you'll reach the real business implication.

Example:

• Finding: "The email open rate is 18%."
• So what #1: "That's below our 22% benchmark."
• So what #2: "We're paying for sends that aren't being opened."
• So what #3: "We're overspending on email relative to value — we should test subject line personalisation or reduce send frequency."

The third answer is the insight worth sharing.

Prioritising insights

Not all insights deserve equal attention. Rank by:

1. Magnitude: How big is the effect? (Revenue, users, %)
2. Actionability: Can the audience do something about it?
3. Urgency: Is this time-sensitive?
4. Confidence: How certain are we?

A high-magnitude, actionable, urgent, confident insight is a priority. A low-magnitude, uncertain, hard-to-act-on finding is background context.

Synthesising multiple findings

When you have more than 3 findings, synthesis is required. Options:

Theme grouping: Group findings by theme (e.g., acquisition, retention, monetisation). Lead with the theme that has the most important implications.

Impact stack ranking: Rank all findings by impact score. Present in descending order. Be explicit about what you cut and why.

Strategic narrative: Find the through-line that connects the findings. Often the best synthesis is one sentence that covers 80% of what the data shows: "The data tells a consistent story: we are growing fast but losing efficiency at every stage of the customer journey."

Insight delivery formats