Nobody needs your software. Or why software development requires a fresh approach.
 
An article that sometimes you need to look at your product not as a “good”, but rather “an inevitable evil”.
This is a free translation. Although I tried to preserve the general meaning of the text, some expressions may not sound exactly like the original. Thanks for attention.
Soft is literally everywhere. Modern society depends on it. It is inside watches, medical equipment, telephones, televisions, elevators, cars, and even “computers” (as if the other devices do not calculate anything . ).
')
As a consultant , I have been helping companies develop software for 14 years, and I have been programming for a bit.
I am a co-author of the international standard , and also helped to bring it to life. I wrote software for managing a satellite communication system. I developed the tools for the team that created the model of the European Extra Large Telescope . I participated in software projects for the automotive industry, health systems, banks, insurance, telecommunications, aviation, and many others.
In some companies, the development was not bad. The teams delivered projects of excellent quality. Shareholders were happy. Firms increased their customer base and profits.
But others had to tight. I saw wars between departments for the right to insert my five kopecks into release requirements. I saw how developed they didn’t keep up with fanning features and requesting changes. Some of them stopped seeing the meaning of what they were doing.
I watched how the understanding disappeared between the developers and the non-technical shareholders who managed them.
A few years later I recognized this pattern, and now when people asked me what went wrong, I began to answer them: no one just wants to use the software .
At first, people took me for a madman. After all, programs are everywhere, they rule civilization! But when I explained what I mean, many of them began to nod in a puzzled way.
***
Surely you, like me, even once made purchases in online stores.
Would you like to register in one more of them?
Do you like to add products to the cart one by one?
Or double-check each time, did you enter the credit card number correctly?
I'm not really here.
And yet, I buy over the Internet. But why?
What I want to get is the desired result : I want to buy a new washer or read a new book. Each interaction with software is a step between me and this result.
Awareness of this radically changed my approach to development.
Many companies measure developer productivity by the number of lines of code, or by speed , roughly speaking, the number of features made per unit of time multiplied by their size.
Some people do not see the difference between selling functionality and selling oranges. He gave more features to the client - he got more money.
But actually it is not.
Adding functionality can simplify or, conversely, prevent your user from getting the desired result. And maybe even make it impossible. There are other, more useful metrics than development speed.
When you enter a new market, make sure that your product satisfies a customer’s need. Holte and cherish your customers and collect feedback more often. Do not turn your software product into an unnecessary mess, inflating its functionality.
If you already have your own niche, then simplify. Make the user's path to the desired result as short and pleasant as possible, because at the end of this path your company gets its income. Well, if you give the user what he needs in fewer steps. Develop less, because software development is an investment.
Amazon in its time began to sell books online. You bought a book from them, and they delivered it to your door.
Then they were the first to make a purchase in one click, allowing you not to enter your payment information each time and click many times to confirm each order. This shortened the user's path .
They later introduced the Kindle. This further reduced the user path : we find a book, look at the abstract, confirm the purchase. We wait a little while it downloads, and we have a book. No need to wait for the courier. In the end, all this leads to the same thing as in the first days of the life of the Amazon: you can read a book. Just the way to it has become much shorter.
You can not become successful, thinking only about the number of features. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Gojko Adzic came up with Impact Mapping - an approach to building functionality from business goals. He calls the developer community to "Make an effect , not software ".
David Heinemeyer Hanson, the creator of Ruby on Rails, is sure that you can always do less .
When I explain this to the developers, they understand me, but only a few companies have embodied the philosophy of shortening the user path .
So don't get me wrong: I love software. It amazes me. I began to create programs in the early 90s , and I am still struggling with this .
Software is useful. But not by itself. Software is just a means to get what you want.
Please remember this.
An article that sometimes you need to look at your product not as a “good”, but rather “an inevitable evil”.
This is a free translation. Although I tried to preserve the general meaning of the text, some expressions may not sound exactly like the original. Thanks for attention.
Soft is literally everywhere. Modern society depends on it. It is inside watches, medical equipment, telephones, televisions, elevators, cars, and even “computers” (as if the other devices do not calculate anything . ).
')
As a consultant , I have been helping companies develop software for 14 years, and I have been programming for a bit.
I am a co-author of the international standard , and also helped to bring it to life. I wrote software for managing a satellite communication system. I developed the tools for the team that created the model of the European Extra Large Telescope . I participated in software projects for the automotive industry, health systems, banks, insurance, telecommunications, aviation, and many others.
In some companies, the development was not bad. The teams delivered projects of excellent quality. Shareholders were happy. Firms increased their customer base and profits.
But others had to tight. I saw wars between departments for the right to insert my five kopecks into release requirements. I saw how developed they didn’t keep up with fanning features and requesting changes. Some of them stopped seeing the meaning of what they were doing.
I watched how the understanding disappeared between the developers and the non-technical shareholders who managed them.
A few years later I recognized this pattern, and now when people asked me what went wrong, I began to answer them: no one just wants to use the software .
At first, people took me for a madman. After all, programs are everywhere, they rule civilization! But when I explained what I mean, many of them began to nod in a puzzled way.
***
Surely you, like me, even once made purchases in online stores.
Would you like to register in one more of them?
Do you like to add products to the cart one by one?
Or double-check each time, did you enter the credit card number correctly?
I'm not really here.
And yet, I buy over the Internet. But why?
Achieving the desired result
What I want to get is the desired result : I want to buy a new washer or read a new book. Each interaction with software is a step between me and this result.
Awareness of this radically changed my approach to development.
Many companies measure developer productivity by the number of lines of code, or by speed , roughly speaking, the number of features made per unit of time multiplied by their size.
Some people do not see the difference between selling functionality and selling oranges. He gave more features to the client - he got more money.
But actually it is not.
Adding functionality can simplify or, conversely, prevent your user from getting the desired result. And maybe even make it impossible. There are other, more useful metrics than development speed.
When you enter a new market, make sure that your product satisfies a customer’s need. Holte and cherish your customers and collect feedback more often. Do not turn your software product into an unnecessary mess, inflating its functionality.
If you already have your own niche, then simplify. Make the user's path to the desired result as short and pleasant as possible, because at the end of this path your company gets its income. Well, if you give the user what he needs in fewer steps. Develop less, because software development is an investment.
How Amazon Kindle shortens your path to your desired
Amazon in its time began to sell books online. You bought a book from them, and they delivered it to your door.
Then they were the first to make a purchase in one click, allowing you not to enter your payment information each time and click many times to confirm each order. This shortened the user's path .
They later introduced the Kindle. This further reduced the user path : we find a book, look at the abstract, confirm the purchase. We wait a little while it downloads, and we have a book. No need to wait for the courier. In the end, all this leads to the same thing as in the first days of the life of the Amazon: you can read a book. Just the way to it has become much shorter.
You can not become successful, thinking only about the number of features. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Gojko Adzic came up with Impact Mapping - an approach to building functionality from business goals. He calls the developer community to "Make an effect , not software ".
David Heinemeyer Hanson, the creator of Ruby on Rails, is sure that you can always do less .
When I explain this to the developers, they understand me, but only a few companies have embodied the philosophy of shortening the user path .
So don't get me wrong: I love software. It amazes me. I began to create programs in the early 90s , and I am still struggling with this .
Software is useful. But not by itself. Software is just a means to get what you want.
Please remember this.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/338054/
All Articles