????瑞典有一家名叫“3”的移動運營商，它把話費賬單從每月一次的惱人服務變成了一項有用的服務。它推出的“My 3”手機應用可以使用戶實時看到自己的使用數據，讓他們知道自己的話費和流量還剩多少。如果用戶的剩余通話時間不多了，他們也可以通過這款應用獲得更多的信用，到了月底的時候，用戶就不會對著高額的話費賬單大吃一驚了。用戶也可以通過這款應用直接撥打客服電話，同時它會告訴你，要等多長時間才能撥通某位客服人員的電話。這款小小的應用重塑了電話賬單給用戶的體驗，使它從一種靜態的、單向的告知方式變成一項個性化的服務，不僅可以根據用戶的行為做出調整，還允許用戶即時采取行動。

????這是一個很好的例子，它把世界上的一種最呆板、也可能是最令顧客厭煩的數據變成了另一番模樣。而且令人吃驚的是，用戶非常喜歡這項服務，作為一項電話賬單應用，用戶居然在應用商店中給它打了平均4.5星的高分。

????“3”的故事也告訴我們，一家企業在靈感的驅使下可以實現怎樣的華麗轉身。在和其它運營商競爭的過程中，“3”在使用用戶數據上另辟蹊徑并取得了成功。

????谷歌（Google）的Google age服務改變了醫生與患者間的交流方式，現在我們看到，醫療專業人士已經開始主動擁抱信息和數據革命。他們已經開始采取一種前瞻性的姿態，采用那些能夠促進醫患關系的數據解決方案。

????SMART是哈佛醫學院（Harvard Medical School）和波士頓兒童醫院（Boston Children's Hospital）聯合發起的一個項目，目的是重新設計小兒生長曲線。小兒生長曲線幾乎會用到兒童的每次就診中。不過很多父母對這個曲線反映的信息都不甚了解。在某些情況下，這種情況可能導致這個曲線的數據遭到錯誤解讀，從而導致災難性的后果。SMART采取了以設計為導向的方法，建立了一個全新的小兒生長曲線應用，不僅易讀易懂，還可以在醫生和患兒父母之進行分享。這款應用從兩個角度展示了患兒的數據，一種是從醫生的角度，一種是從父母的角度。后者使用的是簡化版本的數據，醫生可以更好地向患兒父母解釋生長曲線所反映的情況以及各種比例數值的意義。它沒有采用復雜的數值，而是用簡明的圖像來呈現兒童的發育情況，確保醫生和父母都能了解孩子的情況。

????類似SMART和My 3這樣的項目近來呈明顯增加之勢，它們的核心挑戰就是如何讓普通人了解各種數據的含義。顯然許多企業也會面臨類似的問題。設計可以通過以下方法幫助企業解釋各種數據的含義，找到用數據為顧客造福的機會。

????? 用數據做指引，而不是做決定：用數據創造一個便于理解和學習的條件，但不要讓數據的重要性超過創意和靈感，也不要忽視信心的重要性。

????? 關心客戶：把數據的洞察力和價值從你的企業擴展到你的客戶身上。

????? 打亂數據，推倒重來：我們住在一個混亂的世界。如果你的數據很純粹，如何適應這個混亂的世界？利用設計把數據變得個性化、情緒化，多講故事。

????3, a mobile operator based in Sweden, redefines the phone bill, transforming it from a monthly annoyance to a helpful service. "My 3" is an app that lets customers see their usage data in real time so they know exactly where they are compared to their plan. If they are running low on minutes, they can get more credit from within the app so at the end of the month there's no bill shock moment. Customers can also make a call to customer service right from the app where the helpful information continues by telling you how long you'll have to wait to speak with someone. This tiny app is rethinking the experience of the phone bill, taking it from a static, one-way piece of communication to a personalized service that adjusts to a customer's behavior and allows them to take action immediately.

????It's a wonderful example of taking information that can be classified as amongst the dullest on the planet and potentially one of the most aggravating for customers -- and turning it on its head. Amazingly, customers love the service so much that they are taking the time to review it in the app store with an average of 4.5 stars, for a phone bill app.

????3's story also shows us what a company can accomplish when they take an inspired leap of faith. Breaking with their competition in the operator space, 3 chose to take a new direction with customer data.

????The Google (GOOG) age has changed the conversation between patient and doctor, and we're now seeing a movement by health care professionals to embrace the information and data revolution. They are starting to take a proactive stance to implementing digital solutions that use data to facilitate the relationship between patients and clinicians.

????SMART, an initiative from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, is an effort to redesign the pediatric growth chart. The pediatric growth chart is the ever-present tool in nearly every pediatric appointment, and yet for many parents the information presented is unclear. In some cases, this can lead to misinterpreted data, which can result in fatal consequences. SMART took a design-led approach to creating an interactive pediatric growth chart app that can be easily read, understood, and shared between doctors and parents. The app showcases patient's data in two different ways: customizing a view for clinicians and one for parents. The parental view allows doctors to better explain the growth charts and percentiles to parents using a simplified representation of the data that can be immediately understood. Instead of complex percentiles, the visuals give a snapshot that showcases a child's development, making sure that both clinicians and parents are on the same page.

????A major increase in projects like SMART and My 3 in which the central challenge is about finding ways to bring meaning to data for the average person. It's clear that many organizations will be facing the same issues. Here are some ways that design can help companies make sense of their data and identify opportunities to turn it into a benefit for their customers:

????? Use data to guide, not dictate: Use data to build a backdrop of understanding and learning, but don't let data trump creative inspiration or minimize the importance of leaps of faith.

????? Obsess with your customers: Extend the data insights and value from your organization to your customers.

????? Mess up your data: We live in a messy world. How can you make your pure data fit a messy world? Use design to make it personal and emotional, and tell stories.