The developers I want to work with

The amazing Shinkansen train at Shin-Osaka station in June 2015.

I want to work with developers who care about what they make. Developers make software, and software is a tool. A tool needs to be sharp, not break, easy to use, and bring a smile to the face of the user. A new feature is not finished before the user gives a thumbs-up.

The user perspective is equally valid within the system itself. Developers write code to be read by fellow developers; they are the users of that code. Usability for the fellow coder is just as important as usability for the end-user. And that fellow coder is probably yourself in the future when you return to make changes.

I want to work with developers that solve a problem for good, not with people who solve it once for themselves and then forget about the solution. Make the problem go away for ever, or if that is not possible share the way to solve it the next time. Developers must continuously improve the process of development and their own tools. And with tool I am also referring to their brains. Be curious, be interested, and keep learning more.

Making a product

To return to the topic of the end product and the end users, I want to maximize the value that my software brings into the world. If it is used by more people it is more useful than having just a few users. This thinking naturally takes me into product development. I want to work with developers that share that drive, and understand that even the slightest improvement becomes a huge deal just because many people experience that improvement.

In the world of product development the difference becomes muddled between new features and enhancements to user friendliness. Is it a new feature to be able to transfer many files at a time, or is it just a friendlier user interface? Really, it doesn’t matter, because it improves usability.

I want to work in a team where we create joy and business benefits for ourselves, our community, and our customers.