Field notes for app builders

Small apps.
Big questions.

A strange little utility. A stubborn user problem. A business hiding in plain sight. Pull up a chair.

The reading room 10

Data you can use01

Catalogue size, usable metadata and fresh observations are three different measures of coverage.

Data you can use02

A chart position needs a store, country, category, chart type and observation time to mean anything useful.

Data you can use03

Stable identifiers keep research attached to the right product when names, publishers and listings change.

Data you can use04

A timestamp should explain what happened, not merely make a record look current.

Data you can use05

Saving fifty apps is easy. Knowing what change would matter is the useful part.

Data you can use06

A useful research CSV should survive being separated from the dashboard that explained it.

Data you can use07

Bounded queries, caching and a stopping rule can keep exploratory research from becoming an accidental subscription business for your supplier.

Data you can use08

A blank observation should not quietly become zero, false or “no activity.”

Data you can use09

A practical benchmark reveals more than asking a vendor whether its data is accurate.

Data you can use10

Explain where the data comes from, what it misses and how a reader should interpret it.