Solving the problem of multiple profiles per user - Part 1

A data scientist is responsible for analyzing complex data sets to uncover insights and solve business problems. They employ statistical techniques, machine learning algorithms, and programming skills to collect, clean, and preprocess data. They then develop models and algorithms to extract meaningful patterns and predictions from the data. Data scientists collaborate with stakeholders to understand their needs, formulate research questions, and present their findings in a clear and actionable manner. Their work helps businesses make data-driven decisions, improve processes, and develop innovative products. 

There are various types of data scientists based on their specialization and the domains in which they apply their skills. One of such roles is a product data scientist that focuses specifically on leveraging data to enhance the development and performance of a product. They work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and designers, to understand user behavior, identify opportunities for improvement, and drive product strategy. Product data scientists analyze user data, conduct A/B tests, and provide insights to optimize user experience, increase engagement, and drive business growth. They use their analytical skills and domain knowledge to uncover trends, develop metrics, and generate actionable recommendations for product enhancements. Product data scientists play a crucial role in aligning data-driven insights with the overall product vision and goals.

You often hear the phrase "User is king", this emphasizes the core importance of the user or customer in the context of business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. It signifies that the success of a B2C company depends on understanding and meeting the needs, preferences, and expectations of its users.

Since the user is the pivotal stakeholder for your product, let’s look at how businesses look at the user and drive product growth.

At each step, users are tracked through their journey and metrics are defined. Some examples are as follows:

‘Create your profile’ is often one of the first steps that any user encounters when consuming any digital platform service. It is a common practice for business to allow a user to create multiple profiles, this behavior is particularly common in online marketplaces, social media platforms and dating apps.

If you are a fresh out of school graduate who has just started applying for jobs, in addition to your primary gmail account you might want to create an additional secondary account just to track your job applications. Doing so will help keep your primary inbox from getting cluttered by all the auto-generated application emails and the secondary inbox will make it easier for you to find and respond to relevant job related emails. At the outset, this may seem to cause less harm. However, if you don the hat of a Product Manager of Gmail, you will be double counting users unless you have checks and balances.

Another common occurrence of this behavior is when using social media platforms. Users might prefer creating multiple profiles with different privacy settings. For example, a social media influencer or a celebrity can choose to create a private profile for close friends and family in addition to their public profile. Many times, a user creates multiple profiles on a social media platform to harass or bully other users, often using anonymous or fake identities to avoid detection. Social media platforms such as Twitter, and Facebook have large teams to detect spam, fake news, and propaganda, often using bots or automated tools to amplify their message and manipulate public opinion.

Similarly on dating apps the same user might choose to create a profile to find something serious and long term while another maybe more discreet profile to find short term connections.

In an online marketplace, users create multiple profiles to artificially boost their sales numbers by providing rave reviews about their product. Sometimes, users create multiple accounts (especially if your platform relies on email ids for account creation) in order to redeem a ‘NEW USER’ coupon multiple times or a ‘FIRST PURCHASE’ discount.