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Just got my team to agree on a new data privacy rule after a month of arguing
We had to pick between two ways to handle user data for our new app feature. Option one was to collect a lot of extra info to make the feature work really well, but it felt a bit creepy. Option two was way more basic and private, but it wouldn't be as smart. I pushed hard for option two, the basic one. It meant we had to spend an extra two weeks figuring out a simpler way to make the feature useful. We launched it last Friday, and the first user feedback is in. People really liked the clear note about what data we don't collect. It feels like a small win for doing the right thing, even if it was harder. Has anyone else had to fight for a less 'smart' but more private design choice?
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the_lisa2mo ago
Good on you for pushing through that! My old company wanted to add location tracking to a simple weather widget, just to show "hyper-local" ads. We argued it was a solution hunting for a problem that didn't exist. It took three meetings to kill it, but the relief was huge. Building trust should be the default, not an afterthought you have to fight for.
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anna5782mo ago
Glad you stuck with the basic option, that's the move every time. I mean, you can always add more data later if you really need it, but you can't really take it back once people get creeped out. We had to explain to our product team that a slightly worse suggestion feature was worth not tracking every single click. It feels like extra work now, but it saves so many headaches and bad reviews down the line.
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avery_flores1716h ago
Jumping in to say what @the_lisa said about trust being the default is so on point. Once you break that trust by collecting too much data, even if you promise to be careful, it's super hard to get people back. It's like that old saying about trust being built in drops and lost in buckets. Plus, your small win probably makes your whole team feel better about the work, like you're not just coding for some faceless corporation but actually making something decent for real people. The extra two weeks sounds like a pain now but that respect from users is worth way more than a slightly smarter feature nobody asked for.
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