The most underrated skill in tech engineering is the ability, or maybe the *willingness*, to be an idiot. Sometimes the best way to debug a problem is to forget everything you think you know and re-test the most basic things from ground zero. Sometimes the only way to design a good interface is to look at what you've made through eyes that have no idea what they're looking at. You know too much. Your users don't know anything. Be a user. If you can't be a user how can you make a thing users want
mcc
in reply to mcc • • •Dawn Ahukanna
in reply to mcc • • •Dawn Ahukanna (@dahukanna@mastodon.social)
MastodonBrendan B.
in reply to mcc • • •an analogy I've used with the software team for the app I work with.
Imagine you have two microwaves in the office lunchroom on the same circuit and using both at the same time trips the breaker. Do you:
1. put a warning in welcome package when they join and yell at them when they forget or missed reading it?
2. put a note on the door of one of the microwaves warning people?
or
3. simply remove one of the microwaves from the lunchroom
Shocking how much developers insist on option 1.
Bee O'Problem
in reply to Brendan B. • • •Dec.tar.gz
in reply to Bee O'Problem • • •That would require approval and budget to schedule a visit by a certified and approved electrical contractor. While we're waiting for that. . .
mcc
in reply to Dec.tar.gz • • •mcc
in reply to mcc • • •@dec23k @beeoproblem @distinct So this can make being an engineer feel very surreal sometimes…
Engineer: "We can solve this problem instantly by spending $10,000"
Manager: "We don't have $10,000 in budget for capital expenditures. Work around it"
Engineer: *Spends two weeks working around it*
Engineer: *Has a total compensation package that costs the company the equivalent of $10,000 for every two weeks of labor*
Capitalism: I am the most efficient way to allocate resources within a society
Cassandra Granade 🏳️⚧️
in reply to mcc • • •@dec23k @beeoproblem @distinct There's the related but distinct problem that an engineer may be required to spend months working to justify spending one week fixing a problem. Even aside from not being allowed to spend budgets, engineers who understand the technical issues with a project aren't often allowed to have input into how those issues are prioritized.
An efficient allocation of resources, as you say.
Don Whiteside
in reply to mcc • • •@dec23k @beeoproblem @distinct Same shit as so many places that are weirdly stingy about buying new hardware.
Engineer with 120k/yr+ compensation package: “Hey I'm spending several hours a week fighting with this gadget, can we buy a $1,000 replacement?”
Manager who can't divide 120,000 by 2080: “No, we don't have any budget for capital outlays”
Other manager: “We're not progressing as fast as we need to for our schedules, better hire another engineer”
The Seven Voyages Of Steve
in reply to mcc • • •Dan Wineman
in reply to The Seven Voyages Of Steve • • •Paul Cantrell
in reply to Dan Wineman • • •Losing the imitation game
Jennifer Moore (Jennifer++)Dan Wineman
in reply to Paul Cantrell • • •Paul Cantrell
in reply to Dan Wineman • • •Maike
in reply to mcc • • •