Do Techies Really Know How Their Product Is Used?

Last week, I learned that the vast majority of my techie friends (development managers and developers) believe they know how their product is actually used in the real world and who their product actually serves based on their responses to a short survey.

These results shocked me. 

In my experience, most developers work in fields where our primary value is:

• Our ability to program in the right language,
• Our skills at making good design and architectural decisions, and
• (For long time employees) the deep technical knowledge we have of our product and codebase. 

I have met few programmers who have a deep, credible image of how their product is used or who it actually serves. (Except for the case where the builder is also a user, such as a cellular phone interface programmer at Nokia.)  Even programmers who are subject matter experts in their product’s field often have no more understanding of their product’s users and environment than a professional volleyball player has of my inability to spike a volleyball and what life looks like as a woman not quite 5 feet tall.

To me, image is the key word.  In my experience as a developer, we each imagine a user – or two or three – who help us make decisions when designing and implementing our product.  I believe we ask ourselves, “What does my image need here?”  If the decision requires something we had never considered before, we make our best guess, grow our image accordingly and continue implementing our product.  (Of course, every developer on the project will have a different internal image of the user, leading to those too familiar discussions about what features are necessary and how they should be implemented.)

As far as understanding how our products actually fit into the real world, I have to admit that I rarely gave that a thought when I was a techie.  Sure, I knew my DHCP server had to hand out valid IP addresses, my router balancer had to accurately load balance the demand on the routers, my students had to be able respond to the test questions and be prevented from cheating, my manufacturers able to manufacture …. But I had little idea or interest in how my products fit into the demands and goals of the customers’ everyday life.

So, for all you techies out there: Do you really know how your product is used in the real world? Do you really know who your product serves?  And for your product managers: Do you know these answers?  Do you think your techies do?

I'd love to hear from you on this.  I’m quite curious.

Comments

[Scott Sehlhorst]

Bonnie - great topic for discussion!

I was spoiled as a developer - I was able to work with some "great examples" and the occasional "horrible warning." I was also fortunate to be able to work with several fantastic UX people (although they weren't called that at the time), who got me hooked on Alan Cooper. So I made a point, as a techie, of doing what we might be able to call "discount ethnographic research." Conversations and ride-alongs with users to get a bead on what they were doing, what they thought about it, why they did it - and any ideas (few, looking back) for what they might be able to do differently.

When I moved up into team-leadership roles I made sure that folks on my teams had those same perspectives.

Eventually I evolved into technical product management and business analysis. And found that too many analysts and PMs didn't know how people were using their software. Now I make a point of defining personas (both buyer and user), and keeping their needs in mind when defining products and solutions. I also push for early involvement and feedback from people who will be users of the software.

I hope that this is becoming more and more common. Thanks for talking about it!