One useful feature would be to normalize by total so that I can see changes in something as opposed to just total site growth. Right now I have to chart a single generic parameter but if I pick poorly it’ll confuse the issue.

I'd love to see the opposite as well, ie how much has HN grown over time.

Agreed. That would make this way more insightful. Otherwise most searches will basically be a version of https://xkcd.com/1138/ during periods of site growth.