97 Things Every Programmer Should Know

Chapter 97. Your Customers Do Not Mean What They Say

Nate Jackson

I’VE NEVER MET A CUSTOMER YET that wasn’t all too happy to tell me what they wanted—usually in great detail. The problem is that customers don’t always tell you the whole truth. They generally don’t lie, but they speak in customer speak, not developer speak. They use their terms and their contexts. They leave out significant details. They make assumptions that you’ve been at their company for 20 years, just like they have. This is compounded by the fact that many customers don’t actually know what they want in the first place! Some may have a grasp of the “big picture,” but they are rarely able to communicate the details of their vision effectively. Others might be a little lighter on the complete vision, but they know what they don’t want. So, how can you possibly deliver a software project to someone who isn’t telling you the whole truth about what they want? It’s fairly simple. Just interact with them more.

Challenge your customers early, and challenge them often. Don’t simply restate what they told you they wanted in their words. Remember: they didn’t mean what they told you. I often implement this advice by swapping out the customer’s words in conversation with them and judging their reaction. You’d be amazed how many times the term customer has a completely different meaning from ...