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Data Structure-Driven Products
Product / Concepts
Products whose power comes from the shape of the data they store.
What It Means
Some products win because they model data better than competitors. Figma's multiplayer edit graph, Git's content-addressable tree, Airtable's relational grid — the data structure unlocks what the UI can do.
Why It Matters
- The data model defines the ceiling of features you can ever ship.
- Migrating a data model later is painful and often impossible.
- A good model turns hard features into one-liners; a bad one turns simple features into epics.
How to Apply
- Spend disproportionate design effort on the core data model early.
- Prototype the model with real use cases before committing to a schema.
- Ask: what queries and operations should be cheap? Design the structure to make those free.
The Trap
Treating the data model as an implementation detail left to engineers. It's a product decision.
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