11–20 of 63 posts
There's one difference though. Unlike product designers, software engineers will never be in the spotlights. Not at Apple, anyway. E.g. tell me how many times you've read an article about Jony Ive versus about an important software engineer at Apple.
Funny! I wrote the same article 6 years ago: https://www.dein.fr/2015-10-01-10-principles-for-good-code.h...
> Companies that stay successful are the ones which don’t fear to constantly disrupt themselves through technological innovation. Spot on, intel immediately comes to mind. Will playing it safe always lead to mediocrity though? Depends i guess, heard that a good poker player loses less often. (edit) Enjoyed reading the rest of the article too. In the environmental impact section i missed the idea of using more efficie…
I always wonder what modern UI would look like guided by these principles... I am a full-stack product designer.
Love that! > 8. Good software is thorough down to the last detail That's my approach. It tends to earn me a bit of scorn, but I do it anyway.
"Perfect is the enemy of good", or something akin to that, is also good to keep in mind.
There's one difference though. Unlike product designers, software engineers will never be in the spotlights. Not at Apple, anyway. E.g. tell me how many times you've read an article about Jony Ive versus about an important software engineer at Apple.
John Carmack?
But Carmack is from a generation where developers were often still working on something on their own.
I do see a shift to a model where developers are viewed more as a commodity and less as artists. In a "just throw more developers at the problem" kind of way.
Love that! > 8. Good software is thorough down to the last detail That's my approach. It tends to earn me a bit of scorn, but I do it anyway.
Question. Are those people scorning you because you are thorough down to details, or because you are thorough down to details _at the cost of something else_?
In my case, that turns out not to be the case. I work very quickly.
I can develop a fairly "full-fat" iOS app, with a lot of functionality, in less than a week. I do it all the time, with test harnesses.
But getting the app to what I consider "ship" shape, is another matter entirely, and can stretch the project to a couple of months (which is still not so bad, all things considered).
One of the nice things about my approach, is that I can start using TestFlight (Apple's beta-test service for iOS) quite quickly. This allows non-tech stakeholders to start actually using the app, very early in the process.
If I have an open-ended schedule (like I do, with the project I'm working on now), it's amazing, because we can refine the project, and work through a lot of the MVP stuff, without the public shame.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Perfect is the enemy of good", or something akin to that, is also good to keep in mind.
True but "good enough" under too tight deadlines is what leads to security vulnerabilities.
Love that! > 8. Good software is thorough down to the last detail That's my approach. It tends to earn me a bit of scorn, but I do it anyway.
Well, the coin has two sides. People that have the same mindset, appreciate when someone strives for perfection and creates somethimg really good. But i learning to be fine with 97% was very valuable too i think. It can get problematic when stuff needs to be delivered fast though. Finding the right niche is key i guess. Most people seem to be content with good enough and that is fine too. Diversity makes it fun someh…
It's a labor of love, and I feel that makes all the difference. I like to think of what I do as a "craft."
Good design is needed everywhere. It's much more than adding a gradient to a Buy button.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
John Carmack?
They did say "at Apple". But Carmack is from a generation where developers were often still working on something on their own. I do see a shift to a model where developers are viewed more as a commodity and less as artists. In a "just throw more developers at the problem" kind of way.
It's been around long enough that seminar works on management calling the practice out are disregarded by some as outdated just by age