You’ve surely always wondered who the genius masterminds behind CallApp are, especially since it’s such an impressive and successful app. And that’s exactly why we’ve decided to offer a unique opportunity to get to know the team a little bit better. Today, we’re sharing an exclusive interview with Dafna Penn, the Product Data Analyst here at CallApp. 

Could you briefly describe your role at CallApp? What do you love most about your role at CallApp?

‘‘I’m in charge of everything data related in all CallApp departments, including product, marketing, business development, and R&D.  My main goal as the Product Data Analyst is to drive the company to make best possible decisions based on both insights from the past, as well as future predictions. 

I love that we have so many users (currently almost 100 million), which brings huge amounts of data to the table. This is pretty much heaven for people like me.  Another thing I love about my role at CallApp is that A/B tests are always performed in order to test and improve our product. And of course, I also love the CallApp team, filled with great minds that are creative, funny, and even dog friendly too, which makes for a fun work environment.’’

—

What led you to become a data analyst? What would you say it takes to be a data analyst for those aspiring to take on a similar path? 

‘‘It took me a while to understand that what I love the most is to analyze and improve products. In university, I studied computer science and bioinformatics which led me to start my career as a developer. At the start, around 2009, all the big data buzzwords came my way and I quickly understood that product together with data is one of my favorite combinations. I was fortunate enough to work in an open-minded Start-Up, which allowed me to take on this path. 

For those of you aspiring to become a product data analyst, I believe that you need to love digging in deep, to be able to notice even the smallest of details, and also be able to always see the big picture. It’s important to think creatively about where to search and how to optimize your findings. You’ve also got to be a ‘people person’ since this kind of work requires working with others, sharing ideas, insights, and coming to decisions together. On the tech side, most of the time, you’ll use SQL and some programming languages too, such as Python, so study those subjects! 

—

How do you determine whether or not there’s a bug in your data? Especially when you see explosive numbers?

‘‘You need to “know” your data, and understand the trends as well as the reasons behind them. So when I see any unusual numbers or trends, I start diving in to understand the source. This might be a specific country, media source, product, tech bug, or really any other issue. In these cases, you need to be very patient and focused. In the end, you can find real ‘treasures’. 

—

How would you describe the importance of product data analysis? 

‘‘The metaphor that comes to mind is to be the ‘the eyes to the blind’ helping to point those that can’t see in the right direction. When it comes to a company, everyone has a specific question, and it’s the job of the data analyst to help them decide how to move forward.’’ 

—

If you had to compare data to something else in life, what would it be?

“Similar to Forest Gump, I would say that: Data is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

—

You can connect with Dafna on LinkedIn to discuss everything data and dog-related.