The extra engineering effort tastes better
Quick Note. . .
Unfortunately, I don’t yet have a specific guide on how to implement the below ideas yet.
I have a bunch of examples of when I’ve done this in the past and how it’s paid off, but I’m still working on converting that into a playbook that an engineer can follow.
I plan (hope) to write a follow-up post on this topic with a more specific action plan.
In the meantime, hopefully the below will inspire you to approach communication with your non-technical partners differently.
Setting the table
Often when you build software there is a hungry client or manager waiting impatiently, checking their watch and elevating their expectations of what is to come.
Building anticipation can result in a big let down.
A hangry client sending an app back to the kitchen is the last thing you want.
It’s never fun as an engineer to be called out of the kitchen to be asked again about status/tickets/outcomes. (Meanwhile is something burning in the oven?)
Often all you really want to do is skip all the meetings and “get back to cooking”, but there is an opportunity awaiting the savvy engineer with the right approach.
Does it look like the picture on the menu?
Imagination can result in unrealistic expectations.
Showing them a perfect picture of what they might get can be a huge let down later if the kitchen doesn’t deliver.
The opposite is also true. Show them nothing and they will fill in the blanks with their own imagination.
I worked at a haunted house in my teens, building optical illusions before
the Halloween season, but also as a performer. You learn that everyone
is afraid of something different, but EVERYONE is afraid of a dark room.
They fill that empty space with their own personal worst nightmare.
Designs and demos are useful. But nothing is more real than something in their hands, even if it’s not fully cooked yet.
Give them an App(etizer)
Even if all you can do is “create an account” and “log in”, it’s something to wet their appetite. I often find little things like adding their logo and colors early or simply configuring the domain/DNS with their URL is enough to get them excited and ready for what is to come.
Dinner and a show
They thought they were just here for a transaction at a hot dog stand, but now you are giving them a 5-star experience that will stay with them as a great memory.
There was once a daycare owner who was frustrated at parents arriving late
to pick up their kids. The owner decided to implement a late fee. The result?
Parents started showing up even later because the owner accidentally turned
a social and interpersonal problem into a transactional one.
Bring them along as a collaborator on this quest of discovery and invention. If a boat captain has a charter to go fishing, but the fish don’t bite, there was still enjoyment to be had by the paying customer.
Teach them to fish
I’m not saying to force them to learn how to code, but the thought work that goes into problem solving is a skill anyone can use. People inherently understand the value of education. If they leave you feeling wiser and smarter, they will put a cost premium in their mind on what working with you is worth to them.
But be careful not to take this too far. Don’t force feed them information they don’t have the stomach for. Just be open, and let their questions and interests guide what you share. This also only works if they are already feeling satisfied with the meal, so make sure you are already delivering on their core needs.
No one wants to be lectured about how corn is farmed or hear a long tale about the hardships of farmers. But they do want to experience some emotion about the hard work the farmer put in and what fresh cut herbs smell like.
Compliments of the chef
There are so many things we build in software because we always end up having to build them anyway.
- HTML email
- Making things look half decent on mobile even when it wasn’t a requirement (because you know eventually it will be)
- User notifications/reminders
- Email alerts when new users sign up or take an important action
- Favicons
- Google Analytics
- Alt text
- etc
These little things are often forgotten about during initial planning, but come up much later on. Make a show of it. It might take 2 seconds for you to pull in that feature from a past project, but it’s still a new feature. Show it off to them and gently remind them that it wasn’t in the scope of work, but you knew they would need it so you just did it.
Just Desserts
Do all of this well, and you will find that all of the stress and misunderstandings in meetings will (likely) disappear. When bugs pop up and engineering plans go sideways, you will find your patrons to be far more understanding and supportive. You will have a trust-built relationship with them, not a fast food transactional one.
