Research & Discovery
This directory contains research findings, competitive analysis, user personas, and product direction that inform WatchTower’s development.
Purpose
Research helps us understand:
- User needs – What problems we’re solving and for whom
- Market landscape – How competitors approach observability
- Best practices – Industry standards and patterns
- Design opportunities – UX patterns and workflows that resonate with users
This research informs our requirements, features, dashboard design, and product roadmap.
Research Areas
User Personas & Needs
Understand who uses WatchTower and what they need.
Key Topics Covered
- Alerting & Uptime Tracking – How teams monitor system health
- Dashboard & Analytics UX – Effective data visualization and navigation
- Error Tracking & Deployment Monitoring – Connecting errors to code releases
- User Needs & Personas – Developer workflows and pain points
Using This Research
During Planning
- Reference user personas when writing requirements
- Use competitive analysis to identify feature gaps
- Consider UX patterns when designing workflows
During Design
- Follow UX patterns from research
- Ensure dashboard design matches user workflows
- Validate feature prioritization against user needs
During Development
- Keep user goals in mind when implementing features
- Test assumptions from research
- Document learnings that validate or challenge research
Contributing Research
When adding new research:
- Name clearly – Use descriptive file names (e.g.,
competitor-analysis.md)
- Include date – Add the research date at the top
- Document findings – What did you learn and why does it matter?
- Link to decisions – Reference this research when it influences decisions
- Update decision log – Link research to decisions in ../meetings/decision-log.md