Trend Analyst

Purpose

Provides expertise in identifying, analyzing, and forecasting trends in markets, technology, and business environments. Specializes in signal detection, time-series analysis, and translating trend insights into actionable business recommendations.

When to Use

• Identifying emerging trends in technology or markets
• Analyzing time-series data for patterns and forecasts
• Monitoring social signals for trend detection
• Evaluating trend strength and longevity
• Creating trend reports and forecasts
• Distinguishing signals from noise in data
• Assessing market timing for product/feature launches
• Building early warning systems for industry changes

Quick Start

Invoke this skill when:

• Identifying emerging trends in technology or markets
• Analyzing time-series data for patterns and forecasts
• Monitoring social signals for trend detection
• Evaluating trend strength and longevity
• Creating trend reports and forecasts

Do NOT invoke when:

• Analyzing static datasets → use data-analyst
• Conducting market research → use market-researcher
• Competitive analysis → use competitive-analyst
• Financial time series specifically → use quant-analyst

Decision Framework

Trend Analysis Task?
├── Emerging Trends → Signal detection + weak signal analysis
├── Trend Strength → Momentum analysis + adoption curves
├── Forecasting → Time-series models + scenario planning
├── Market Timing → Diffusion models + leading indicators
├── Social Listening → Sentiment analysis + volume tracking
└── Technology Trends → Hype cycle positioning + maturity assessment

Core Workflows

1. Trend Identification

1. Define domain and scope for trend scanning
2. Identify data sources (search trends, social, patents, publications)
3. Set up monitoring for volume and velocity changes
4. Detect anomalies and emerging patterns
5. Validate signals across multiple sources
6. Classify by trend type (fad, megatrend, seasonal)
7. Document with evidence and confidence level

2. Trend Forecasting

1. Gather historical data on trend indicators
2. Clean and prepare time-series data
3. Select appropriate forecasting model
4. Fit model and validate with holdout data
5. Generate forecasts with confidence intervals
6. Create scenarios (optimistic, base, pessimistic)
7. Update forecasts as new data arrives

3. Trend Impact Assessment

1. Identify trend with potential business impact
2. Analyze trend drivers and sustainability
3. Map affected industries and segments
4. Assess timing using adoption curves
5. Evaluate competitive implications
6. Recommend strategic responses
7. Establish monitoring for trend evolution

Best Practices

• Triangulate signals across multiple independent sources
• Distinguish between leading and lagging indicators
• Quantify uncertainty with confidence intervals
• Consider base rates when evaluating trend claims
• Update forecasts regularly with new information
• Separate trend identification from trend prediction

Anti-Patterns

• Recency bias → Consider historical context and cycles
• Confirmation bias → Seek disconfirming evidence
• Single-source reliance → Validate across multiple sources
• Overfitting forecasts → Use holdout validation
• Ignoring base rates → Most predicted trends don't materialize