Convergence

CHAPTER 2DATA AND INTUITION

The world is being re-shaped by the convergence of social, mobile, cloud, big data, community and other powerful forces. The combination of these technologies unlocks an incredible opportunity to connect everything together in a new way and is dramatically transforming the way we live and work.—Marc Benioff¹

1 Deutsch Insights, Data and Intuition Convergences, 2017.

The book explores convergences in contemporary design practice that now occur at the meeting of two seemingly opposite forces.

2 Deutsch Insights, Convergence of Data and Intuition, 2017.

Do data and intuition really represent extremes? Are there places where they start to approach each other?

What is the relationship between data and intuition? They appear to be on opposite ends of a spectrum: one rational, the other embracing emotion; one objective, the other subjective; one hard, the other soft; one quantitative, the other qualitative; one requiring thought, the other a more immediate response. But let’s not let this devolve into a critique of machine vs. man. Data and intuition are related. But how?

Let’s start by asking: Do the two really represent extremes? Are there places where they start to approach each other? Places where they remain different? Are both needed? Does ...