Recently at Agile Development/Better Software Conference West 2014, James Whittaker, distinguished engineer at Microsoft, presented a keynote exploring the future of web-based data.
According to Whittaker, data is the new oil, and those who master it will be at an advantage. Data ultimately is power—we saw it help win the last election, and it will win the next one.
However, with so many new apps there is an overwhelming amount of data. Not much has changed in the last twenty years except the volume of data. We still turn to browsers to perform searches and filter through the results.
His solution?
Context-Based Data
With the domestication of data, we move from being data hunters to data gatherers. Relevant, context-based data would come to us based on intents instead of our going out and searching for information.
Most of us have key home apps that we rely on: a calendar and email, for example. Whittaker illustrated this point with the use of his calendar and entering concert information about a show he was planning on attending with his daughter.
Based on the time, a calendar entry is created and pulls in all relevant information (concert venue, nearby restaurants, sample music from the musician) instead of our having to go out and gather all this information.
Discoverability
Similarly, Whittaker pointed out the biggest issue with the iTunes app store. Although Steve Jobs reinvented the way we interact with data, there is still a huge discoverability issue.
Geolocation could help solve this issue, as Whittaker illustrated with the RunPee app, which he saw his date use during a movie. It alerts you about when the least interesting parts of a movie are so you can plan when to visit the bathroom.
Many people might find this app useful, but it is buried so deep in the iTunes store that most potential consumers will never see it.
Ultimately, Whittaker says, those who have data have wealth, and we need better ways to connect people with information.
