Usergeek: Data Analytics for Dapps Running on the Internet Computer Blockchain
This Web3 analytics solution gives developers the insights they need to build better decentralized apps and products.
Before the internet, businesses had no way of getting instant insights into how people were actively interacting with their products, and into whether the users were having a good experience.
This changed as the world moved online. Web2 gave companies access to a treasure trove of data, with insights into traffic, retention, and engagement. But this also included all sorts of other info, such as the user’s location, device, and referral sources — data that would be routinely packaged, monetized, and brokered without the user’s consent.
On-chain Web3 development is now realizing a new era of decentralization, where users have unprecedented control over their personal data. The Internet Computer is a general-purpose blockchain for building scalable Web3 dapps, DeFi protocols, games, NFTs, social media, enterprise systems, and metaverse projects that operate entirely on-chain.
With Web3 data analytics providing an alternative to centralized providers like Google, there’s now an opportunity to have the best of both worlds — developers can get the necessary insights to build better products and experiences, and users can shield themselves from tracking.
This focus inspired the creation of Usergeek, a decentralized product analytics platform for dapps running on the Internet Computer. The “Geek Family” of products also includes NFTgeek for tracking real-time data about NFT listings, transactions, volume, and minting, as well as Canistergeek, an open-source tool for developers to monitor the cycles and memory status of their canister smart contracts.
Giving developers answers
Usergeek helps dapp developers make data-driven decisions by giving them the ability to understand how users are engaging with their products — and it provides these insights without compromising user anonymity. Usergeek doesn’t collect personal information or make it possible to track users across different dapps. The data remains within the dapp’s canister smart contracts at all times.
Usergeek shows metrics such as daily, weekly, and monthly active users, new users, new user retention, and usage frequency, eliminating a potential pain point for projects that are striving for decentralization. It relieves them of relying on centralized analytics providers such as Mixpanel or Amplitude for insights, or of the necessity of building an in-house alternative that takes precious resources away from the actual project.
“We often hear the feedback that users are asking to remove Google Analytics integration,” explains Usergeek product developer Dmitry Burbo. “The main issues we hear from developers are that users don’t like to be tracked and that Google actually knows more about their users than they do.”
“The main philosophy of decentralization is against using centralized tools,” he adds. “Before the Internet Computer launched, it wasn’t possible to avoid them, because there wasn’t the tech to run a whole dapp on blockchain or some side tools on the same blockchain.”
Because the Internet Computer encompasses data storage, back-end logic, and front-end interfaces, Dmitry says, “it absolutely makes sense to run all other third-party services on the same blockchain as well.”
Decentralized insights
Instead of creating user “profiles” — the approach that Google uses to target you with ads about bedding across multiple websites for many months after you search online for a new comforter — Usergeek focuses on the metrics that matter most, all while separating identity from data.
The platform is currently working on allowing projects to generate a breakdown of the most frequently used features within their dapps. Known as Custom Events, this will provide crucial information for product developers and support the development of conversion funnels and engagement matrices, as well as corresponding feature use with retention and frequency.
“Without this data, how would you tell if the new feature you’ve spent four weeks developing is actually being used?” asks Dmitry. “Custom Events will also help developers analyze how certain features influence core metrics, such as short- and long-term retention or usage frequency.”
As the number of decentralized applications and services increases, there will be an increasing move away from the use of centralized analytics tools.
“We are focusing on the core metrics that matter the most to young projects, and not the metrics that are most useful for the analytics company itself,” says Dmitry.
This approach extends to the bottom line. Usergeek is determined to be transparent when it comes to pricing, ensuring that startup blockchain projects get the best deal possible.
“We believe that, in the Web3 era, projects should have 100% transparency in what they are paying for, not just some pricing packages where you basically pay for an army of sales agents, rather than for the data storage and processing,” Dmitry explains.
Many developers are just beginning to explore the potential of Web3. Usergeek can help them break old Web2 habits by equipping them with the analytics they need to build the best products.
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