Monday, November 25, 2013

Context

  So recently my children's school underwent a renovation over the summer. They changed the carpet from institutional (a dreary mud-grey) to fun (black and white stripes with occasional blocks of bright colors). They painted all the cubby hangers the kids had (used to be varnished particle board, now it's bright elementary colors). They moved / changed 10 of the 12 teachers around to different grades. The front office got a complete remodel, including windows where walls used to be.
  My daughter came home the other day and said, "Dad, they made some big changes at school, and I'm not sure I like them." So in my practicing socratic style I asked her why she didn't like the new changes. "Well, they halved the salad bar, and put the silverware on the old half of the salad bar, so there aren't as many vegetables as there used to be. Can I start taking lunch to school with more vegetables?"
  In her world, carpet, wall hangings, windows and teachers in grades didn't matter. What really mattered to her was how many vegetables were served at lunch.

  And that's what most people think about when they think of your software. They don't care how it was envisioned, backlogged, developed, tested or deployed. They care about how it directly affects them in their attempt to use your product. Think about it from there next time.

1 comment: