By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan argues against a common fallacy in the tech industry: that developers only care about building tools for other developers. He contends that most engineers are passionate about solving real problems for real people, but they are rarely exposed to customers, so they only see colleagues' pain points. Cagan says the 'magic happens' when developers witness users' struggles firsthand, and that sheltering them from customers hurts both the company and its customers. He notes that not every developer needs this exposure, but some, typically senior engineers, should be involved. The piece matters because many teams exclude engineers from product discovery, limiting the innovation they could drive.
01Key takeaways
- Most developers care about solving real customer problems; they just rarely see them.
- Bring engineers along to customer visits so they witness usage firsthand.
- Avoid sheltering developers from the unpleasant realities of user pain.
- Prioritize involving senior developers in customer exposure, not necessarily every engineer.
- If you have a direct sales team, prepare engineers with guidance on customer etiquette.
02Key sections
- The fallacy about developers
- Cagan describes the widespread belief that developers only want to build for themselves and other engineers, and says he once shared that view himself. He points out that developer tooling progress reinforces the assumption.
- Why developers seem uninterested
- The real issue is not a lack of passion but a lack of exposure. Developers mostly interact with other developers, so they only see and address those problems.
- Connect developers with users
- Cagan argues that bringing engineers face to face with customers and users sparks motivation and innovation. Hiding the ugly truth from them is counterproductive.
- Who should engage and how
- Not every developer needs customer contact, but some, usually senior engineers, should. Companies with direct sales teams may need to coach engineers on proper customer etiquette.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.