September 17, 2010 at 18:55Your customers don’t mean what they say.
- Transfer
I have never met a client who would not be too happy to tell me what they want, and usually in great detail. The problem is that customers do not always tell you the whole truth. As a rule, they do not lie, but they speak the language of the client, not the developer. They use their terms and contexts. They miss important details. They make the assumption that you have been in their company for 20 years, like themselves. This is compounded by the fact that many customers do not really know what they want! Some of them may have an idea of the big picture, but rarely one of them is able to effectively describe the details of their vision. So how can you complete a project for those who don’t tell the whole truth about what they want? This is not difficult. Just talk more with them.
Interview your clients at an early stage, and do this often. Do not repeat what they told you in their own words. Remember: they didn’t mean what they said. I often replace words in a conversation with them, and look at their reaction. You will not believe how many times the term customer meant something completely different than the term customer . Nevertheless, the guy tells you what he wants in his project using the terms interchangeably, and expects you to hear what he is talking about. You will get confused, and your software will suffer.
Discuss topics with your customers many times before deciding that you understand what they need. Talk with them about things that happen immediately before or immediately after what you are talking about. If possible, let several people tell you the same thing in separate conversations. They will almost always tell you different stories that will reveal different but related facts to you. Two people telling you about the same topic will often contradict each other. And you'd better clarify the differences before embarking on ultra-sophisticated development.
Use visual aids during the conversation. This is no more difficult than using a whiteboard at a meeting, as simple as creating a visual layout at an early stage of design, or as complicated as building functional prototypes. It is well known that the use of visual aids in conversation helps to prolong the concentration of attention and increases the rate of assimilation of information. Take advantage of this fact.
In the past, I was a “multimedia programmer” in a team creating vibrant projects. Our client described in great detail how he sees the project. In the discussion of the general color scheme, we agreed on a black background. We thought it was approved. Graphic design teams have begun producing hundreds of graphic files. A lot of time was spent on getting the final product. A striking discovery was made the next day, when we showed the client the fruits of our labor. When she saw the product, her exact words about the background color were "when I said black, I meant white." So you see, it is never as clear as black and white.
Interview your clients at an early stage, and do this often. Do not repeat what they told you in their own words. Remember: they didn’t mean what they said. I often replace words in a conversation with them, and look at their reaction. You will not believe how many times the term customer meant something completely different than the term customer . Nevertheless, the guy tells you what he wants in his project using the terms interchangeably, and expects you to hear what he is talking about. You will get confused, and your software will suffer.
Discuss topics with your customers many times before deciding that you understand what they need. Talk with them about things that happen immediately before or immediately after what you are talking about. If possible, let several people tell you the same thing in separate conversations. They will almost always tell you different stories that will reveal different but related facts to you. Two people telling you about the same topic will often contradict each other. And you'd better clarify the differences before embarking on ultra-sophisticated development.
Use visual aids during the conversation. This is no more difficult than using a whiteboard at a meeting, as simple as creating a visual layout at an early stage of design, or as complicated as building functional prototypes. It is well known that the use of visual aids in conversation helps to prolong the concentration of attention and increases the rate of assimilation of information. Take advantage of this fact.
In the past, I was a “multimedia programmer” in a team creating vibrant projects. Our client described in great detail how he sees the project. In the discussion of the general color scheme, we agreed on a black background. We thought it was approved. Graphic design teams have begun producing hundreds of graphic files. A lot of time was spent on getting the final product. A striking discovery was made the next day, when we showed the client the fruits of our labor. When she saw the product, her exact words about the background color were "when I said black, I meant white." So you see, it is never as clear as black and white.