It seems like CSV is the most universal format now (at least for such kind of that), so I’ll bet on it.
Would there be any benefits to making this a local desktop app instead of a webapp?
Of course. If you’ll decide one day to switch over from Macs to Windows (or otherwise) - web application has you covered.
Are there more automated ways to get data from my 5-8 different trackers to my webapp? Not all of them have public API’s.
That’s true - some of them are not public, some of them are public but you have to pay for the REST API data access (and I think it’s fair taking into account that storage and processing can cost plenty). I’d stick to one platform that allows you to backup/export data to CSV anytime you want.
I’m still thinking about creating this in Python.
I don’t know if I’m going to create it as a local app for myself only or as a commercial web app.
I also don’t know which technologies I’ll use. Dash or React.js or something else.
If I start out coding it as a local app will it then have to start all over if I later decide to make it a commercial web app?
I would like the dashboard to see a graph with the last week/month/year of data for all variables I track.
Then I will hopefully be able to spot patterns.
But I would also be able to quickly put two variables on the same graph or maybe find the correlation.
Hi Lars,
Nice job with the prototype - a live version of the data source integration screenshot would be valuable to many.
What do you think of this solution? Would you pay subscription for it if it contains the trackers that you use?
I wouldn’t but let me explain. I think many people in this QS community have cobbled together similar solutions that work for them including myself. From a solution standpoint, the big hurdle used to be the knowledge and skills to actually build something. But with the current batch of self-service analytics tools from the major tech companies, those hurdles are no longer there. This is to say that the value proposition has to be much more than solving the problem of data integration, analysis and visualization.
There’s a screen shot missing form your post - it’s the one that demonstrates the solution’s unique ability to turn tracker data into insights that inform (i.e. beyond descriptive analytics) an individual’s quest for self-improvement (or whatever the goal may be). In your prototype, what would that screenshot look like?
Which self-service analytics tools from major tech companies are you talking about?
I’m not sure my app would include insights, other than the ones the user can find by himself in the “visualize” section of the app.
I tried some platforms that give insights based on my data, but I never felt I could trust the insights, because I didn’t knew where the data was coming from and what methods they were using to extract the insights.
It’s a growing list that includes Power BI, Tableau, Data Studio, Qlik and more. These tools have come a long way in terms their accessibility to non-technical folks and this should continue in the years ahead.
I feel the same way which I think goes back to the uncovering a solid value proposition for tools in this space - what capabilities will help us overcome the credibility/trust/transparency barriers so we are willing to pay for them?
What do you think of this solution? Would you pay subscription for it if it contains the trackers that you use?
I think https://gyrosco.pe has this market nailed pretty well. They’ve been around for a while now and easiest way for non-technical folks to get started with quantified self.
I use it because it’s easy to rationalize as a research business expense. But I don’t find it compelling enough to engage with; I only occasionally skim the email updates.
From that perspective, I find exist.io a better value particularly because I believe I still meaningfully own my data there.
I love the approach and practicality! I am working on something similar and I am wondering how is it that you measure wellbeing since the metric does not seemingly come from any tracking device?
Also, what is your progress on this project, and what are your goals with it?
I would love to use something like this @LNP. Full disclosure, I’m working on something similar myself, so if you want we can chat and bounce ideas! Concept below:
I’m working on Welsome (https://welsome.org) which is a platform to track the impact of all of our actions. While the tracking dashboards are very rudimental, currently users can create and track any custom activities, create custom goals based on those activities, receive reminders, view their progress, and challenge friends.
Currently I am a bit uncertain where Welsome fits since it is a bit vague of a concept. Perhaps people in the quantified self communities would resonate with it, or perhaps the self-improvement communities, or people who care about reducing carbon footprint with their actions.
If you resonate with this, or have some advice, or want to chat and bounce ideas hit me up!
I’m new to quantified self, but trying to solve the problems associated with existing trackers as well. Mainly 1) inability to add custom data and 2) clunky interfaces. Would you be interested in checking out my concept for a tracker to alleviate these issues? https://getmission.co
I scheduled a QS Show&Tell meetup (online) for January 14; theme is “QS Dashboards.” (But all talk proposals welcome. Here’s the link to RSVP: https://forms.gle/tM6GQYEJYshgFJN49
In an access of enthusiasm I suggested “personal dashboards” as a theme for the next QS Show&Tell meetup on Thursday. But then I came to my senses and realized that a series of short talks in which we walk through our dashboard solutions is like to be neither interesting nor useful. I think for a more technical topic like dashboards it’s good to have a deeper conversation and back and forth than is permitted by 10 minute talks and 5 minute questions. In a regular conference we can have breakouts and of course people continue conversations afterward. This isn’t possible right now. One possibility is to have a more structured workshop led by a few experts in the QS community. (There are more than a few.) But this would keep the focus on some specific solutions, rather than a more open ended approach. I’m glad to have feedback about this idea or other suggestions. What is the right method?
(Next week’s meeting will have some dashboard content and some regular QS talks, more of a mix.)
