Need for speed: How data apps are fueling business success

Data continues to explode—and for many organizations, that’s a major problem. Not because there’s some kind of law of diminishing returns on data as volume increases. But because lots of companies just don’t have the tools to keep pace. 
 
“BI (business intelligence) got us all a little closer to the promise of better data leading to better results,” Domo’s new CEO, John Mellor (pictured), said during the opening segment of Domopalooza 2022’s virtual keynote. “But if 2021 showed us anything, it’s that modern businesses are hungry for tools that convert their data into revenue.” 
 
Dashboards don’t get it done, because they don’t put data where people are doing the work. But there is something that does: data apps, which smart businesses are already creating, with their data, on the Domo platform, with ease. The result: an ability to move into higher gears and maneuver like race cars.  
 
“When you get past data as a problem to be managed,” Mellor said from behind the wheel of an actual race car, “the question becomes, ‘How fast can I make this thing go?’” 
 
That was the underlying message of Mellor’s 10-minute monologue, which also featured stories of organizations that have used the Domo platform to go beyond the realm of modern BI by quickly developing data experiences that drive action and produce results. 
 
“Apps equal action,” Mellor said, “and action equals results.” 
 
To give the audience a better idea as to why Domo is focusing so much on data apps, Mellor gave way to Domo’s chief operating officer, Catherine Wong, who explained where BI has underdelivered, how data apps can fill the void, and why Domo is the ideal platform on which to build data apps. 
 
In the process of all of that, Wong introduced the Domo App Framework, a suite of low-code, app-creation tools and capabilities that enable businesses to quickly build, scale, and deploy powerful data apps to empower 100% of their organization. 
 
“We just thought if we could make it easy for organizations to put the controls on top of their data, package everything up in an intuitive experience, and put it right where the business process needs to take place,” she said, “then it would change how businesses make decisions at every level.” 
 
And it has. Just ask representatives of Deloitte, TIAA, Vivint, UnitedHealth Group, and O’Reilly Auto Parts, who took turns over the next half an hour sharing how data apps have transformed their business, employee, and customer relationships, and unlocked whole new levels of innovation and efficiency. 
 
In fact, the data apps Deloitte and TIAA created together on the Domo platform also helped form the foundation of a marketing overhaul across three lines of TIAA’s business. 
 
But most data apps are designed to address a specific need or problem. Vivint, for example, wanted to drive sales faster. Mission accomplished: In just 12 weeks, the digital-first home security company built and deployed a collection of data apps to more than 3,000 sales reps, who are using them to do everything from identify sales patterns to better project earnings. 
 
UnitedHealth Group constructed a data app that can predict employee turnover, and is working on another that will assist patients with self-care.  
 
As for O’Reilly Auto Parts, its Gameplan Performance app is allowing store and district managers to work smarter, not harder.

“The most obvious takeaway after rolling out our Gameplan app is the time savings,” said Scott Blackburn, O’Reilly Auto Parts’ chief operating officer. “District managers are saying they’re saving a ton of time, because they can literally take their phone out, pull up the app, walk the store, and answer the questions on their own as opposed to being tied to our parts counter.” 
 
Other highlights of the 90-minute general session included:

• An easy-to-follow-and-understand demo on how to build a data app, by Domo engineers;
• A brief conversation between Domo’s chief technology officer, Daren Thayne, and Microsoft’s senior product manager, Aditya Challapally, about a new set of product integrations that allows organizations to leverage the value of their Domo data assets inside Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, Outlook emails, and Teams channels—all in a way that is accessible, intuitive, and up-to-date;
• Engaging and informative interviews with other Domo customers including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Life Time, and Odele Beauty;
• Dynamic presentations on all the new Domo features that are now available—including Workflows, Domo Goals, Enterprise Toolkit, and four industry-specific apps—and all the new capabilities within Domo Multicloud;
• A sneak peek at what Domo is currently working on and planning to roll out soon;
• A live Q&A with Domo’s product development leaders; and
• A highly entertaining performance by freestyle rap artist Harry Mack.

Watch the replay of Domopalooza 2022, and watch this space for overviews of new product features and recaps of some of the event’s most popular breakout sessions and roundtable discussions.