The author used an open-source dataset from Kaggle for a YouTube project to understand user engagement and satisfaction trends.
The author realized that understanding users is more important than just analyzing data trends and visuals.
The key shift was to start with a clear goal or problem statement before delving into data analysis to ensure the insights drive product decisions.
The mindset shift from generating many plots to generating the right insights has influenced the author's approach to future projects, such as analyzing Netflix data with a product strategy layer.