Best Approach to Getting Raw Report Data

Summary

We have a need to add more search and formatting capabilities to a list of incidents for an org. Raw JSON is preferred.

Content

Hi all,

What is the best approach to getting raw report data? We are seeking to create a highly customized interface for searching through a list of incidents generated by a report. So far, simply extending a widget does not seem like the best approach since formatting is part of the output. 

So far, I've created a working custom widget that uses the REST API and then a unique view to format the data way we want. However, that doesn't seem like the most efficient method...and I'm also concerned it would possibly increase our usage too much.