The most common mistake programmers are making

The big tech gurus constantly argue about which technologies are worth learning or which processes are the most effective for faster learning, yet sometimes the most important aspect of the market ends up being ignored: the analysis.

After all, what good is technology if you can't truly understand what the customer or the market needs? And what is the point of creating a software if it doesn't solve the customer's problem?

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of this problem is in the history of technology launches, particularly the launch of the tablet.

Today, when thinking of 'tablet', almost effortlessly our minds automatically travel to Apple's iPad, and yet it was in 2003 that Bill Gates launched the Microsoft Tablet PC.

Although Gates was the first to introduce this new device to the market, if you ask the vast majority of people who created the tablet, the answer is almost certainly "it was Steve Jobs in 2010".

But why is it that when people talk about tablets it is Apple that comes to mind and not Microsoft? The answer is simple, and it is based on market analysis.

Steve Jobs carefully analyzed the market his product was in: from the customers to the shortcomings in the opponents' products, and only then, came the launch. Needless to say, success was almost immediate.

Bill Gates' failed example with the tablet is the same as what happens to most developers today: they forget to analyze what the market really needs.

According to our experience at Buzzvel and through conversations with customers, this is the main complaint we get.

Clients talk about how companies (project managers and programmers) care more about using innovative, cutting-edge technologies than they do about the client's business.

But now we pose a question to our readers…

When driving daily on a road full of bumps and holes, is it better to have a Ferrari or an SUV?

The Ferrari has its appeal, but on a road full of bumps the drive would be a painful one, whereas, in an SUV, there is more comfort in addition to much more economical maintenance.

What truly matters to any client is the success of the final product, and so Buzzvel's advice to anyone in the field or that is just starting out is that instead of giving emphasis to the technology that makes the most sense to you at the time, rather, give priority to the technology that makes the most sense to your client, without ever forgetting that it is through a true understanding of the client, project, and market that the truly useful and productive work can be done: for both client and developer.

Small changes like this will make your day, both as a programmer and as a person.

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Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash