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Trust people when they report there's a problem, but don't trust them with the solution. Otherwise we would get faster horses instead of cars.
by otikik 3y ago
Trust people when they report there's a problem, but don't trust them with the solution.
Otherwise we would get faster horses instead of cars.
- biogene 3y agoThat's a nice way to put it!
- munificent 3y agoIf I remember right, in "The Inmates are Running the Asylum", Alan Cooper says there are two golden rules: * The user is always right. * The user is not always right. And then the explains the first point is that the user should be treated as the authority on what their problem is. You can't just tell them they're "doing it wrong" or rationalize away their pain. The second point is that users are not designers and shouldn't have to be. They'll often come up with ideas for solutions, but you shouldn't take those as what needs to be done.
- Pannoniae 3y agoThe first point is really common in programming. If you ask a "stupid" question, you don't get an answer like "here's how to do it, but by the way, you could also do this instead" but just flame you with "you shouldn't have been doing X". Good example is FTP. Obviously, for anything requiring any kind of security, use SFTP. But I kid you not, almost all FTP-related questions on the internet have answers like "are you still using that INSECURE protocol in 2020??" without being constructive at all. Even if it's just some random hobby project. Or a legacy system they can't change. Doesn't matter, it's more important to score points from virtue-signaling than actually helping the poster.
- reaperducer 3y agoEven if it's just some random hobby project. Or a legacy system they can't change. Or a modern system. My brand new image scanner only transfer files wirelessly via HTTP or FTP. People in places like HN freak out with "Oh noes! Teh securities!" But its wireless connection is as a wifi access point that only allows one client to connect, and only stays active for a few minutes. Not every computer is inside NORAD.
- deanCommie 3y agoBill Hader puts it this way for writers/artists/creatives, and I think it applies perfectly here too: "When people tell you that there is a problem, they're always right. When they tell you how to fix it, they're always wrong."
- neilv 3y agoI like this, and I think it applies best to creative works, in which the creator is the expert on the characters and storytelling. (A screenwriter needs to know the audience isn't feeling the romantic chemistry between the two leads, but probably doesn't want to hear their steamy fanfic scenes.) But when designing solutions for people who are the domain experts (and this might even just be the domain expert of how a particular factory line works in practice), the dialogue with them likely includes their ideas for solutions. These ideas don't have to be "right" as-is, but might suggest the right direction, or just be loaded with bits of relevant knowledge that inform whatever the solution ends up being.
- deanCommie 3y agoValid! But I think it still works. Because when you're designing software for domain experts, they know their domain, but they don't know yours (software design) So yeah, they'll say why something won't work, but the solution will probably involve another button, another drop-down, a hamburger-menu, or another option in the settings. And then it's your job to figure out if it's the right solution.
- eviks 3y agoWe'd also get intergalactic ships
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]