---
title: "Intentional telemetry"
date: 2022-09-26T22:41:33-07:00
replyURI: "https://dizl.de/@maze/109066602774324727"
replyTitle: "Well, what else do you need an analytics tool for than to find new insights?"
replyType: "SocialMediaPosting"
replyAuthor: 	"@maze@dizl.de"
replyAuthorURI: "https://dizl.de/@maze"
---

Compare the two scenarios:

Scenario A: "We received a piece of user feedback to change this design to avoid errors; their suggestion was well received by other users. Let's collect some telemetry from that component to see is these issues are representative of the larger population; based on that, we'll know whether it warrants a re-design of that component."

Scenario B: "Telemetry says users never use this feature; we can remove it."

In Scenario B, telemetry prompted a decision; in Scenario A, telemetry helped understand a real specific problem. Telemetry should be used to clarify an existing insight rather than make discoveries on its own. Metrics should not be collected lightly; they should be collected with intention (and, of course, prior informed consent).