I am curious as to how much this will shift in the coming years with the rise of big data. Because this could be one of two issues. Either the industry has yet to adapt, and that's why the majority of data goes unused, or they are currently collecting superfluous data, and that is why 95.5% goes unused.

I think this is one of the most important steps to the design thinking process, as identifying a problem requires a very good understanding of the market you are it. For example, maybe your product solves a solution in the present day, but will it be able to aid people in the future? Or maybe it will solve a problem you had as a child, but in the present day, that is no longer an issue. There are many considerations to creating a product, and research aids in making the correct decisions.

I find this interesting, as job shifts to higher end jobs are generally attributed to a lack of need for such jobs. In this case, the market sensibility would suggest that technology has advanced to the point where fewer builders are needed, but prior to the advent of companies such as this one, this wasn't the case.