2026-06-03 –, January Breakout Room
Traditional software analytics often uses the concept of a “funnel” to describe the user journey. Many people may be considering using a piece of software, some of those people will eventually try it, and some of those people will eventually use it regularly. In open source, quantifying this funnel is much harder, as the data signals in open source are very different from what a proprietary SaaS platform might see. In this talk, we describe a novel framework for describing and measuring the open source adoption lifecycle, and explore practical applications of this information.
Understanding user journeys in open source is a unique challenge. Unlike proprietary SaaS platforms with access to precise user metrics, open source projects rely on a mix of indirect signals such as downloads, contributions, and community interactions. How can we define and measure the open source adoption lifecycle with these fragmented data points? In this talk, I will present a new framework designed specifically for open source projects to quantify user adoption stages, awareness, trial, regular usage, and contribution. We’ll also demonstrate how this framework can be applied to real-world scenarios to improve onboarding, enhance retention, and foster deeper community engagement. Attendees will gain actionable insights to transform data into strategies that grow their projects sustainably.
Avi Press is a developer tool author, and functional programming language enthusiast, serving as a founder & CEO at Scarf. Avi loves thinking about and discussing how people can solve problems by more effectively sharing data, and how that applies to building a sustainable open-source ecosystem. He is also a host of the Hacking Open Source Business Podcast, where Avi continues to share insights, inspire discussions, and contribute to the ever-evolving open-source landscape.