It’s about the carpenter, not the hammer

It’s about the carpenter, not the hammer

by Ron Sparks  |  March 22nd, 2010
Culture, Process


 

 
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I felt inspired today and thought I would share my thoughts. I plan to share more about finding and meeting user goals in the future, which hopefully will help to inspire pushing the limits of whatever technology being used. Oh, and this is my first Mad Collective post so tread lightly. :)


Creators are Fighting
There has been a lot of talk in the tech community about which online technology is best. You may have heard words like, aJax, HTML5, jQuery, Wordpress, Drupal, mooTools, Flash and discussion around whether or not Flash will soon be unneeded (dead! some shout from behind enemy lines), and it seems a lot of people are taking sides.


If you’re in the creative or business community (or some kind of bliss where you get to do both), you have undoubtedly heard people who are passionate about a particular product or solution, and rightfully so. Normally people get hooked on the crack of a new technology because it allows them to do things other technologies didn’t or couldn’t support at the time.


The issue here is that often creators and developers get so high and excited on their breakthrough—and then ultimately comfortable with the a new type of technology—that they forget it simply allowed them a path to a goal. Suddenly we have been using a new tool for 6 months (which is the innovative equivalent to a decade nowadays) and we forget our motives for using said product.


I concede that each technology has its power doing certain things better then others. This is why we have more then one application. After you work with a technology and become comfortable with it, heck, you’re an expert! This can make it hard not to bad-mouth the other guys in an attempt to play up ones own skills. Can’t we just be ok with the fact that Wordpress and Drupal are just as powerful and both based on the same php technology doing different things? Can we agree that Flash and jQuery are still important but their power is moving into new areas? (Sorry if I lost the non-web people at the end there!)


Powerful Idea
I just read an article by Dan Mall at A List Apart that seems to throw a splash of cold water on some hot heads. Mall basically sits on the fence. To break down what the huge article says I will summarize it as such:

-Hey! cool your jets
-Be careful about backing a technology
-Don’t get all emotional about it
-Be creative and push the limits
-Create solutions that are good for the people!


This may be a safe place to stand, but with the speed of advancements increasing and new versions of prior technology being released every 3 to 6 months, I think it’s not just safe, but smart.


Cool Heads Prevail
A List quotes Big Spaceship (a savvy large agency), where they state how they don’t have a “Flash developer” but rather they are good at Flash and love it but they use other terms to keep a broad scope on what their goals are. The goal is not to deliver a great Flash experience—or a great experience with jQuery, or any other new tech jargon—their goal is to provide a great experience for people, the users, with whatever allows them the best path.


It’s easy to get attached to technology, especially if you’ve been having a love affair with it for some time. Or all your business buddies are building their websites on XYZ. No one wants to be told “Hey, maybe you should break it off for a project.” The response is sharp in return “What! Who are you to tell me how to live my life?”


I think I’ll jump on the big spaceship with “I am not ‘x technology developer.’ I am a creative making solutions for the user and for the business. I push the limits of the technology to bring the people the best experience.” If we are going to have passion lets not draw lines in the sand about what technology is best (the winds of change will erase it by next quarter). Lets be passionate about creating great experience.


So in a world of drama, and exciting change, what’s the take away? Yes we need to innovate, and a level of competition is great. And of course you can’t become great with every technology so we need developers who are set on one or the other. However, we the broad range of creatives, entrepreneurs and “get it done-ers” need to make sure we are not blinded by love of the technology and forget that businesses and users have goals. It shouldn’t be about down-talking the other team all the time, but playing your own strengths, and pushing the limits, and designing and solving problems for the people.


So as with every tool, it’s not the hammer that matters. It’s the carpenter. (And sometimes we need a steel worker too, depending on the project. :)

Ron Sparks

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Reader comments (5)

 

Me like. Keep ‘em coming, Ronaldo.


Jeff Jimerson | March 26, 2010

I often ask the same question about Social Media Ron. If the tools disappeared today, what are the fundamental principles that should guide a business or organization to success with the ones that replace them tomorrow. Isn’t it about knowing your objective and finding the right implement to make it happen?


Matt Riopelle | March 26, 2010

Very true Matt, there is some pretty cool stuff happening on the web, we have roll with the punches been ready to adapt. Which means on top of mastering what’s out there and what we use day to day we have to be always learning new things.


Ron Sparks | March 31, 2010

Absolutely agree. Our industry is just waaay to fast paced to get too comfortable with any one tool. That said, when you’ve been doing it a long time and you’ve tried a lot of the options, its nice to find tools that work really well.

One thing that frustrates me is when my daughter says she doesn’t like a food and then when I ask her if she’s tried it, the answer is “no”. How can you hate something you haven’t tried?


Jason | April 21, 2010

Jason, my ex-boyfriend used to turn up his nose at food all the time: “I haven’t tried it so I won’t like it.”


Donna McMaster | June 28, 2010
 


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