SubscribeDeveloping software in a solo environment has its pros and cons. On the upside you have complete reign over the code base (no problems with ownership here), freedom to follow specific designs and an ability to express your creativity. On the other hand, the very nature of the activity can be your down fall; tunnel vision and shortsightedness can eclipse all of your efforts.
There is a way out of this quandary and its called peer review. The mere mention of “peer review” can strike fear and foreboding into the hearts of developers. But, like it or not, this egoless programming practice has the power to deliver.
Outside input can lead to an increase in production quality and ultimately product appeal. Here’s a few ways to get outside input and ideas if you’re flying solo:
- Direct communication with friends. Friends that you’ve made through previous jobs, ventures, or virtual contacts made real are great sources of input. When in the same industry they can provide a unique perspective. If it has been a longtime since you’ve touched base then invite them out for lunch, or better yet a beer, in order to reconnect.
- End Users. The end users of your product are an extremely valuable source of feedback. While a user may not be privy to the nitty gritty code details they will have an opinion about what is good or bad about your interface. Running a public or private beta will give you the chance to gather valuable feedback and roll it into a product before going live with it. For iPhone development take a look at TestFlight which is an awesome service for distributing beta builds and getting feedback from your test team.
- User groups. There is a good chance that there is a Cocoa developer group that meets regularly in your area. A few places to start would be CocoaHeads, NSCoder Night, and if you’re in Austin CocoaCoder. Getting out and mingling with other developers is a great way to cultivate ideas, get feedback and make a few friends. Try giving a short presentation to the group on some code or a technique that you’ve been working on. Not only will this give the group a chance to discuss a topic but it can help you validate ideas or to open up new avenues of thought.
- Virtual community. Participation in online forums, email lists, IRC channels, and of course blogs can be another source of outside input. While readily available the quality of this sort of feedback can tend towards the inflammatory. Be sure to research your questions and always interact per the guidelines of your chosen group. Oh, and be sure to don your flame retardant suit before dipping your toes in.
Whatever avenue you pursue to gain outside input it has the ability to not only improve on your own designs but to also increase your creativity. New ideas yield more new ideas and so on. So, if you’re feeling like you’ve hit a brick wall or that you need a second opinion try getting some outside input.
There used to be a senior exec in a company that I worked for who liked to say, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”. Visuals from a literal translation of that Ken Blanchard quote aside, it has the power to transform anything. Feedback, in all of its forms, is often a tough serving to consume but a good helping of the right sort can push you beyond current limits and plateaus.
The Good,
When I think of that quote I imagine what kind of feedback the exec was talking about. For me it meant feedback from peers and end users. Depending on the crowd that you hang out with it can actually be quite difficult to get good constructive criticism. I know, I know, what you’re thinking. This guy is asking for it? Yea, as long as it contains that operative word constructive and is meant with sincerity. Feedback is often the only way for you to see beyond your own narrow view of the world. Think of the Truman Show. Here you have this guy who has known nothing else but a little island for his entire life. Then little by little he starts to notice inconsistencies which make him think about the world around him. Had those quirks never happened or had he failed to notice them he would still be sitting there on his TV show. Feedback is the express train to realization.
Constructive criticism coming from your peers can take you to new levels of your craft. Of course, it’s up to you to decide if any one piece of feedback takes you in the direction you want to go as a developer, individual, astronaut, or whatever. This requires some introspection on your part. Developing a bit of a rhinoceros skin and a good humor about yourself also helps to digest the horse pill that can be peer feedback. However, the best peer feedback is often of the positive persuasion. A simple, “Good job” or “Man, that’s great” can do wonders to spur someone on in their current direction.
Assuming that you’re a software developer/publisher, you can have feedback from end users. Feedback of this sort can put greenbacks in your pocket book. When a user emails to notify you that there is a UI bug or that they don’t understand the usage of some feature it is your clue that something may be up. The same or similar item coming from two, three, or even more people should start to perk up your spider senses to a potential improvement in a design or work flow. Again, introspection is the order of the day when deciding if a request or issue falls along the direction and intent of your particular flavor of software.
the Bad,
Being the bearer of feedback can be just as tough as receiving it. That is, if your intent is to be constructive (and I hope that it is). Simply blurting out your observation of flaws comes across as strictly criticism and that’s bad. Instead, hold back the thought for a bit and think of ways to improve on the subject at hand. I mean, you see a flaw so you must have an idea of how things could be better. Right? Reverse roles with the person and think about how you would want to hear the news that you are about to deliver. Finally, provide your critique along with a suggestion on how to improve. Running through this sequence becomes second nature once practiced for a while. Some people will do it naturally and don’t even think about it. Others need a process to follow. Some characteristics of good feedback include:
- Transfer of information rather than the giving of advise
- Covers a specific issue rather than a general one
- Focuses on the content rather than the person
- Offered with empathy
Just as bad as not being able to take feedback is never giving it. Floating merrily along accepting the status quo lies in a direct line towards failure. Yours or someone else’s. It could take years or even decades to materialize but sooner or later such a static nature will break down. Often an unwillingness to provide feedback is really masking a desire to avoid receiving it. If that’s you then start small. Give yourself time to develop the skills of giving and receiving feedback. I think you’ll be better for it in the long run.
and the Ugly
Trolls and flame warriors need not apply. We all know the type of inflammatory feedback that a supposedly anonymous internet can elicit. There is something about the feeling of anonymity that can draw out some of the more basal aspects of human nature. In short, there is little you can do but surround yourself with as many upstanding people as possible and simply ignore the occasional flame. Responding to outright deleterious comments or feedback usually only fans the flames and invites more of the same. Use that rhinoceros skin and good humor to the best of your ability and ignore it.
That’s a wrap
There you have it. The good, the bad, and the ugly of feedback. Sometimes it takes stepping outside of yourself in order to see the larger picture but feedback is a great way to grow an idea, a product, or yourself.
Feedback. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.
Note: This is a repost from my personal blog at http://shanecrawford.org
Visionary.
Creative Genius.
Rebel.
Human Being.
Thanks Steve.
Did you make a small improvement in some area of your apps today? Your design? Your business? Practice Kaizen and you would have. Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy for continuous improvement which has been applied to fields as varied as manufacturing and game development. While the philosophy includes making changes and adjusting based on their outcome one of the more useful aspects is improvement by continually making small changes.
Toyota famously uses this technique to increase manufacturing efficiency and productivity. Every worker is empowered to stop their production line suggest an improvement and work it into their larger process. They have formalized the process and made it a part of their corporate culture. Small changes made continually have led to a power house of manufacturing.
I think that Apple also uses a form of Kaizen. We all know that Apple makes incredible products and is known for innovation. But, they are not always first to market. Nor are many of their products initially released with the ultimate feature set. They have an innate knack for launching a product with the right feature set and then rapidly and continually improving it over time. All informed by a philosophy of simplicity and elegance. In fact, they are relentless about improvement even to the point of radically changing established and accepted products. Remember the very first iPod? It was a clunky device by todays standards. It also wasn’t the first nor the best digital music player of its day. But, it soon became the dominating music player as a result of relentlessly improving the device.
It’s amazing how quickly a group of small changes can result in a large one. By continually making small improvements you can quickly outpace competitors, increase end user satisfaction and create a product that is established in its niche. This technique is especially powerful when used by small teams or solo developers who can move nimbly but lack the resources of a larger outfit. Be relentless in your small but continual improvements and others will wonder how you get so much done. One brick at a time, that’s how. Add the philosophy of Kaizen to your mindset and make at least a small improvement in your app or business each and every day. Down the road you’ll be glad you did.
Occasionally I run across some video out on the web which peaks an interest that seems to draw a line back towards my indie development efforts. They may be directly related to some technical topic or more often than not totally off the beaten path. I’m going to link to a few of them here in the hopes that they spark something in you. May they help to provide a guiding light down the path to Indiedom.
First, Bruce F’n Lee!! Bruce comes off as very inward focused and zen-like. Inspiration for being flexible as an indie developer. Be water my friend.
All of us have Genius. Don’t be afraid to find and expose yours. Sometimes its hard to let your creation show for fear of “feedback”. Push on through and let your creativity shine.
Avoid the inevitable doldrums that follow the high you feel after coming up with a new idea. Stop dreaming and start doing.
Classic guerrilla marketing techniques from the godfather of the delicious generation.
Very cool and inspirational animated talk about the underpinnings behind what motivates us. Good to keep in mind when you find yourself lacking motivation.
Just a few videos that I’ve found inspirational and I hope you like them too. This is my last blog post for iDevBlogADay for a while. I’ll be falling back to the end of the rotation and the next dev with great stuff to write will be filling this slot the next time around. However, I hope that you subscribe to the RSS feed and hang around since I’ll still be posting about an awesome new project that I’m just starting.
This post is a part of the iDevBlogADay group of Indie development blogs. Thanks to @mysterycoconut for managing such a great site.
A few days ago we returned from a week long working vacation down to the coast. This wasn’t a visit to a client site or a trip to an extension office. It was more of a re-location of current activities. A Busman’s Holiday. Our days were filled with long walks on the beach, trying out the local restaurants and working on special projects. That’s right, working, on vacation.
Being an Indie developer means that you can be somewhat of a Bedouin1 traveling about the countryside laptop in hand. A fast internet connection, a power outlet, and my laptop are all that I really require to be productive. Well, almost. A supportive spouse who has a similar mindset is critical. For the third year in a row now we’ve made this trip down to a sleepy fishing town on the coast and each year great things come from it.
There’s one rule to a Busman’s Holiday. Don’t work exclusively on existing projects. Pick something new that you’ve been wanting to explore or start something that you’ve been wanting to get to. Working on a fun special project multiplies the creative effects of your work and can take you to truly undiscovered territory. In fact, my primary product, Mathemagics, started out this way on a trip a couple of years ago. Last year saw the brainstorm and start of another successful project. And this recent trip was no different in setting the tone for the rest of my year as an Indie.
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with the solution to a problem as if your mind was working while you were asleep? Or had a great idea while in the shower? I think this happens because in those situations our minds are closer to a state of relaxation. Stress of day-to-day activities fades away and opens the pathways our brains need to make the leaps of thought that manifest themselves as creativity. A Busman’s Holiday is like that. Removed from your daily work environment and nestled in a relaxing setting the ideas begin to flow and hyper productivity sets in.
So, if you have the means then you might want to take a Busman’s Holiday. Pick a relaxing spot somewhere near where you live, set the expectations for the family that this is just work but somewhere else and go for it. Step outside of your normal daily activities and temporarily relocate to your creative zone.
1. If you are in or near Austin Texas then you can get a weekly dose of nomadic life by attending Cafe Bedouins on Tuesdays.
This post is a part of the iDevBlogADay group of Indie development blogs. Thanks to @mysterycoconut for managing such a great site.