What Does 7.3 Even Mean? Why Context Matters

Why Most Dashboards Confuse People (and How to Fix It)

If I told you I ran a mile in 8 minutes, you might think, “Cool, good for you.”

But if I told you I’m 65 years old and just started running six months ago, suddenly that 8-minute mile becomes pretty impressive.

Same number, completely different story.

This is exactly what happens in the data world every single day.

We get so excited about our findings that we forget the most important part. Helping people understand what those numbers actually mean.

Picture a meeting where someone proudly announces, “Our customer satisfaction score is 7.3.”

Everyone nods politely. Some people even smile.

But here’s the thing. Nobody in that room actually knows if 7.3 is worth celebrating or if it’s time to hit the panic button.

Why Context Makes or Breaks Your Data Story

Data works the same way.

A number without context is just math homework that nobody wants to do. Your audience needs to know if 23 percent is amazing or terrible before they will care about your analysis.

The problem is that we analysts live and breathe our data every day.

We know that 7.3 customer satisfaction is actually pretty bad because we have seen the historical trends and industry benchmarks.

But our audience does not have that context in their brain. They are hearing that number for the first time.

How to Add Context That Actually Helps

Here is the good news. Adding context does not require fancy tools or complicated analysis.

You just need to answer three simple questions every time you share a number.

1. Compared to what?
Always give your audience a reference point.

Compare your number to last month, last year, or the industry average.

Saying “Our conversion rate dropped to 2.1 percent, which is down from 2.8 percent last quarter” tells a very different story than just “Our conversion rate is 2.1 percent.”

2. What does good look like?
Set clear expectations about what success means.

If you are tracking website bounce rate, do not just say it is 45 percent.

Tell them that anything under 40 percent is considered excellent in your industry.
That 40 to 55 percent is average.
And anything above 55 percent needs attention.

3. Why should they care?
Connect your number to something that matters to your audience.

Instead of saying “Email open rates are 18 percent,”
try “Email open rates are 18 percent, which means we are reaching about 1,800 fewer customers than we could be with industry-standard performance.”

Real Examples That Show the Difference

Let’s see how context changes everything.

Without context: “Sales increased 15 percent this month.”
With context: “Sales increased 15 percent this month. That beats our 10 percent target and is our best performance since the holiday season.”

Without context: “Website traffic is down 8 percent.”
With context: “Website traffic dropped 8 percent last week. But that is actually normal for this time of year. We saw the same seasonal dip in 2023 and 2022.”

Without context: “Customer support tickets increased to 47 per day.”
With context: “Customer support tickets jumped to 47 per day. That is double our usual volume and explains why response times have been slower.”

See how much more useful those become?

The numbers are the same. But now your audience actually knows what to do with the information.

Making Context a Habit

The best part about adding context is that it becomes automatic once you start doing it.

Every time you are about to share a number, just pause and ask yourself:

“If I heard this number for the first time, would I know if it is good or bad?”

If the answer is no, add the context.

Your audience will thank you.
Your recommendations will be clearer.
Your data stories will lead to action instead of confusion.

Start with your next presentation or report.

Pick one key metric and make sure you explain not just what it is, but what it means.

You will be surprised how much more engaged your audience becomes when they actually understand the story your data is telling.

Remember this. A number without context is just a number.

A number with context is insight that can change how people think and act.

That is the difference between being a data reporter and being a data storyteller.