Developer Discipline: The art of producing presentable solutions: Presented by Naga Chokkanathan @ Salesforce Developers Group, Bengalooru on 22nd April 2017. Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqFuYZ_Nwoo&feature=youtu.be

1. Developer Discipline
The Art Of Producing Presentable Solutions
Naga Chokkanathan
April 2017

2. My Builder Friend
Empty Land
To
House (99%)
To
Likeable, Liveable House (1%)

3. The First 99%
● Understanding
Requirements
● Understanding
Limitations
○ Budget
○ Time
○ Resources
● Solutioning
● Building
● Technically challenging
● More satisfying
● More important
● … So, we want to stay in
this zone: solve a
problem and move to
next problem
● … But, is the problem
solved?

4. The Last 1%
● Feedback
● Improving
● Trial
● Rework
● A happy customer
● Less challenging
● Boring
● “Marketers’ Work”
● Not Very important
○ For whom?

5. Effects of ignoring the last 1%
● Developer
○ Working on the next great challenge
● Customer
○ Struggling with user adoption challenges
■ Additional investment
■ Delays in going live
■ Dropped projects
● … Is it fair?

6. What is your Promise?
● Explicit:
○ Configuration/Code that solves the
business problem, well tested,
deployed
● Implicit:
○ Presentable, usable
Configuration/Code that solves the
business problem, well tested,
deployed

7. How to address the Gap?
● Understand the mindset
○ For you it is ‘yet another project’
○ For them it is a lot more!
● Move from “Solutions” to “Presentable Solutions”

8. Presentable Solutions
● When you have developed your solutions, you are
already 99% done!
● But, the remaining 1% can be the hardest
○ If you do it as a separate activity, a later thought!
● Embed the “Making it presentable” attitude in the first
99% itself
○ Magically, the last 1% gets filled

9. Three Questions
● Does it look right?
● Does it flow right?
● Is it easy for the user?

10. God is in the Details
● Spell check, Grammar Check
● Uniformity
○ Colors
○ Fonts
○ Text Size
○ Alignment
○ Right Logos
● Intellectual Property Rights
● Multiple Devices
● Automated Tools
● Style Guides
● Library of
○ Components
○ Messages
○ Sample Code
● Simulators

11. User Experience
● Is it easy?
○ Too many clicks?
○ Too much of movement between screens?
○ How can we make it easier for the user?
● The Grandma Test
● Walk in their shoes (Not mandatory, but good
for you)
● Ask them to test (Mandatory!)
○ But, be prepared to hear the unexpected...

12. It Doesn’t Feel Right!
● Err… What do you mean?
● Be open to “Unclear” Feedback
○ Ask further questions
○ Translate
○ Rework
● Repeat until customer is happy :)
○ It NOW feels right!

13. Unlimited Rework?
● Not Really
● Remember, they want the project to go live, more than you
● Cut Assumptions
● Have an open conversation about how to make it presentable, usable

14. What about New Requirements?
● They will be happy to pay for newly
identified features
○ Don’t blame them. You can imagine a lot more
when you see something
● But, can you make it part of the process?
○ Multiple demos, instead of one big bang demo
○ Understand “What feels right to them” early
○ Define “Them”: Who are the ultimate end users
of your application?
○ Gently ask the Gatekeepers to connect you to
them

15. To Summarize
● Configuring/writing a presentable application is your responsibility
● Understand your users better, develop something they would enjoy using
● They will shower you with love and more projects :)

16. Q & A