Critique of Over-Engineering Communication in Software Development
By
walterbell
1mo ago· 4 min readenOpinion
65/100
Toasty
Bagelometer↗
Toasted just enough. A reliable bake, gently seasoned.
Score65TypeopinionSentimentnegative
Summary
The article critiques the tendency in software development and product design to over-engineer communication solutions rather than addressing the fundamental human issues of poor communication and listening. The author argues that professionals often create frameworks, systems, and technical terminology to avoid the difficult work of actually talking to and listening to people. The core message is that better systems won't solve communication problems when people aren't engaging in genuine human interaction.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledThe problem isn't that you need a better system. The problem is you're avoiding doing the work.
So lots of designers and product people have leapt onto 1, basically trying to turn talking to people into terms engineering people find more cuddly.
people aren't talking to people
people aren't listening
Stop trying to engineer your way out of listening to people
I spend a lot of time negotiating this in the software world:
And if you're wondering why this happens, it's normally because:
1. people aren't talking to people
2. people aren't listening
So lots of designers and product people have leapt onto 1, ba
