After decades in custom software delivery, one truth stands out: it’s shockingly easy to build the wrong thing. I’ve seen engineering masterpieces with zero users, binders full of requirements but no working code, and “agile” used as a smokescreen for disorder.
You can chart a better course for your project by starting with one question.
The Game-Changer Question
The question isn’t just a casual check-in—it’s your lifeline to relevance. It is:
“Is This What You Need?”
It forms the foundation for delivering real, useful software. Asking it frequently means you’re engaging real users, understanding their problems, sharing tangible prototypes, and most importantly, listening closely to their responses.
From Assumptions to Evidence
The dot-com era taught me a painful but invaluable lesson (more than once): technology without users is just an expensive hobby.
It’s easy to fall in love with our own ideas, to assume we know what users need based on gut feeling or a convincing stakeholder. But assumptions are just that—assumptions. Without real-world validation, they’re guesses dressed up as strategy.
We need to stay close to the people we’re building for. That means:
- Listening before designing
- Prototyping before planning
- Testing before scaling
And above all, we have to resist the temptation to pack in features “just in case.” Every unnecessary feature adds complexity, inflates cost, and dilutes user experience. Great software doesn’t try to do everything—it solves one thing really well.
If we want to move from noise to clarity, we have to swap ego for evidence.
The Power of “Show and Tell”
My daughter, our family’s proud chicken keeper (yes, she’s a “chicken tender”—dad joke alert!), told her class about her chickens. But the day she brought one in? That’s a whole new level of excitement.
The same goes for software: don’t just tell users what you’re building—show them something real. Let them click, test, and explore. That’s when you’ll get feedback that matters.
Feedback Isn’t Optional—It’s Everything
It’s not enough to ask, “Is this what you need?”—you have to listen and act on the answer.
Real feedback is fuel. Sprint reviews, usability sessions, regular user check-ins—these are your clarity moments. Not every engineer needs to attend every session, but building empathy through direct user interaction can reshape how teams think.
Ongoing user acceptance testing and honest, consistent conversations are how we stay aligned with real needs—not just specs.
Build With Purpose
To build software that truly makes a difference, ditch the shiny distractions and focus on:
- Hard questions that uncover your real needs
- Experiences that show actual progress to stakeholder
- Feedback loops that keep you grounded in reality
When you consistently ask, “Is this what you need?”, and embrace the “show and tell” mindset, you build products that people don’t just use—they rely on.
PS: This blog post was inspired by a conversation with a colleague and friend. That’s another thing we all need—trusted professional peers who challenge us, support us, and help us get better every day.
