For end users

Rough for end users

If you're using a product powered by Rough, here's what's actually happening — and how to build the thing you wish the product did.

You probably arrived here because

A product you're using has a Rough Surface in it somewhere — a panel or a section that lets you describe a feature you want and have it appear inside the product. You're not sure what to do with it, or whether the thing you have in mind is something Rough can build.

This page is for you. We'll walk through what a Rough Surface is, how to build inside one, and what to expect.

What you're looking at

A Rough Surface is a controlled space inside the product that the vendor has opened up for customisation. Think of it as a corner of the product where the vendor said: you can put your own things here.

You can build small features inside a Surface — a custom view, an extra button, a different way of summarising data, a workflow that's specific to how your team works. Each thing you build is a Rough Feature. It runs inside the product, alongside everything else.

How to build something

Open the Surface and describe the feature you want, in your own words. For example:

• "Show me the customers I haven't contacted in 30 days."
• "Add a button that exports this list as a CSV with only the columns I care about."
• "Summarise this conversation in three bullet points."
• "Group these tasks by who they're assigned to."

Rough will build a working version of it inside the Surface. If it isn't quite right, describe what you'd change and Rough will iterate. You don't need to know how it works under the hood — describing what you want is the whole skill.

What Rough can and can't do

Rough Features can do a lot of small, specific things: read data the Surface has access to, lay it out differently, run lightweight calculations, talk to the parts of the product the vendor has exposed.

Rough Features can't change the product itself. They can't access data the Surface wasn't given access to. They can't override what the vendor decided is or isn't allowed in that Surface. These limits are set by the vendor, not by you, and they exist for a reason — they're what makes it safe for you to build inside the product without breaking it.

What to expect

• Iteration is the loop. First attempts are usually close but not perfect. Tell Rough what to change. Repeat.
• Specifics help. "Add an export button" is fine. "Add an export button that gives me a CSV with the customer name, last contact date and account owner" is better.
• It's yours. Features you build live in your account. They don't leak to other customers. They don't become part of the product unless the vendor decides to promote them.
• Ask for help. If you're stuck, the vendor's support team can usually see what you've built and help you get it working.

Where to go next

• What is Rough? — the broader picture.
• Features — what a Rough Feature is, in more depth.
• Security — what Rough can and can't see in your data.