I often wonder these days about the value of telemetry and A/B testing. I think many heavily used pieces of software can benefit from a BDFL-like decision maker instead, especially if the alternative is software specifically designed to use me as a guinea pig surreptitiously. I feel like, in the race for adoption, we suffer a form of the tyranny of the majority with software. Decision making based on principles instead of popularity is the only way to prevent harming some of us whose software preferences are in the minority.
It seems A/B testing provides clear numbers on what's most popular, but you can't quantify what's right.
It seems A/B testing provides clear numbers on what's most popular, but you can't quantify what's right.