JAX London 2016: "Empathy - The hidden ingredient of good software development?"

EmpathyThe hidden ingredient of good software development?

Daniel Bryant@danielbryantuk

01/05/2023 @danielbryantuk

empathynoun | em·pa·thy | \ˈem-pə-thē\

The feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions

The ability to share someone else'sfeelings and perspective


A typical software development debacle…Me: I think we’re some missing empathy here…Client: Is that a new JavaScript framework? Empathy.js?

Me: No, no – shared understanding...Client: Is it a new communication style? RxEmpathy?

Me: No, I mean thinking about the needs and feelings of your (customer|team mate|boss|internet troll)


Empathy misplaced?


We’re (typically) developing software……for other people…with other people...to create an (emotional) experience

Surely we have to understand other peoples’ experiences?



We’re (typically) developing software……for other people…with other people...to create an (emotional) experience

Surely we have to understand other peoples’ experiences?

This is why empathy is important


@danielbryantuk• Chief Scientist at OpenCredo, CTO at SpectoLabs

• Agile, architecture, CI/CD, DevOps

• Java, Go, JS, microservices, cloud, containers

• Driving change through the application of technology and teams

• London Java Community Associate• InfoQ Editor, DZone MVB, Voxxed…• Conference regular: Devoxx, JavaOne, QCon…


The next 40 minutes: Empathy…• Core principles

• In the real world• Requirements gathering• Architecture and development• Operations

• Leadership


Core principlesKnow yourself, know others, seek rapid feedback


Core themes in the presentation• Know yourself• Who we are determines how we see others (emotional intelligence)• The first person we must examine is ourselves

• Know others• The world – with one exception – is composed of others• We can lift people up or take people down

• Seek rapid feedback• No one gets it right all the time


Know thyself…


Know others

01/05/2023

The range of empathy…

@danielbryantuk

Strong empathy Strong apathy


Requirements gatheringBecause we’re creating software for other people


IT as conversational medium• Post-agile

• Design thinking• Empathy• Ethnography• Abductive thinking• Iterative user testing

• Start with why (impact)


Impact mapping

www.impactmapping.org

https://www.impactmapping.org/


Personas• Represent a major user group

• Express needs and expectations

• Uncovering universal features and functionality

• Describe real people with backgrounds, goals, and values


Empathy mapping


Ethnography - “get out of the building”

• www.notonthehighstreet.com• “In your shoes”

• Large UK retailer• “Shop floor time”

• My own experiences…


Core themes - requirements• Know yourself• What impact am I seeking? (Start with why)

• Know others• Seek to understand users• Visit users in their natural habitat

• Seek rapid feedback• Prototyping• Build, measure, learn


Architecture and developmentBecause we’re building software alongside other people


Architecture• Shared understanding• Architects must code

• ‘Just enough’ upfront design• The power of diagramming

• Risk management• Technical • Stakeholder


Risk management - evaluation

“I will postpone using this shiny new framework until my peers have validated the proposed benefits with rigorous scientific experiments”

- Said by no programmer …ever


Evaluation - Fitness functions

• Microservices as an Evolutionary Architecture• Neal Ford and Rebecca Parsons

• Great for evaluation and documentation• Platforms / Language• Middleware• Data stores

01/05/2023

Evaluation - Raible’s comparison matrix

@danielbryantuk

www.slideshare.net/mraible/comparing-jvm-web-frameworks-february-2014

http://www.slideshare.net/mraible/comparing-jvm-web-frameworks-february-2014

Evaluation – The Spine Model• Effective conversations make for effective

collaboration

• It's a TOOL Problem• As a species, we have always been Tool

users and makers. • We use _____ to get our work done

• People get stuck in a dilemma where equally plausible options are available

• “Going up the Spine” breaks deadlock http://spinemodel.info/explanation/introduction/

http://spinemodel.info/explanation/introduction/

Determine the need for the tool• PRACTICES before Tools

• Decide on the Practices that the tools are there to support• We do _____ to create value

• PRINCIPLES before Practices• Decide on the Principles to measure those Practices against.• We leverage _____ to change the system

• VALUES before Principles• Make as explicit as possible the Values at play in the system.• We optimise for _____

• NEEDS before Values• It all starts at Needs. Why does this system exist in the first

place?• We are here to satisfy _____




Coding

• All code is communication

• ”Clean Code”

• Wikis and READMEs

“Always code as if the person who ends up maintaining your code is a violent psychopath who knows where you live.”

-Jeff Atwoodblog.codinghorror.com/coding-for-violent-psychopaths/

http://blog.codinghorror.com/coding-for-violent-psychopaths/


Systems thinking – the user journey• Understand the user journey

• “Shift left” QA• Three amigos• ”Quality Advocates”

• BDD and TDD• Outside in


If you’re building microservices...

specto.io/blog/recipe-for-designing-building-testing-microservices.html

https://specto.io/blog/recipe-for-designing-building-testing-microservices.html


Core themes – architecture and dev• Know yourself• Check your evaluation and communication skills

• Know others• Understand the whole (systems/solution-focused)• Establish the correct perspective - think outside-in

• Seek rapid feedback• Prototype


OperationsBecause everyone is responsible for the (continual) delivery of valuable software


Regulatory fit theory

Mary Poppendieckbit.ly/1VvYi83

http://bit.ly/1VvYi83

http://bit.ly/1VvYi83


Share the pain...


“Developer-on-call”An occasional spike to the head

is a good thing...

...metaphorically speaking

• You build it, you run it• Accountability• Shared responsibility• Communication


DevOps - it’s not a department

• Pair with developers

• Treat operators are stakeholders

• Involve in standups• Communication face-to-face


Outside-in (and systems) thinking

• Lineage-driven fault injection

• Semantic monitoring • Avoiding alert fatigue

www.infoq.com/presentations/failure-test-research-netflix

http://www.infoq.com/presentations/failure-test-research-netflix


Core themes - operations• Know yourself• Seek freedom and accountability

• Know others• Dev-on-call / DevOps• It’s all about perspective – think systems and outside-in

• Seek rapid feedback• Semantic monitoring (systems)


LeadershipBecause we’re always influencing (leading) other people


Communicate the tech vision

01/05/2023

Don’t micromanage - People learn from mistakes

@danielbryantuk

Devs with new tech be like…

…f*cking new technology

This has been me many times!


Listen, empathise, and provide feedback• Separate appreciation, coaching and

evaluation

• First seek to understand

• See your blind spots

• Identify the relationship system

• Cultivate a growth identity


Dealing with difficult people in the team(who generally aren’t psychopaths/sociopaths)


Leadership• Know yourself

• Big five personality traits, MBTI, and meditation/mindfulness• Know your vision/mission/goals

• Know others• Engineers (including myself) can be a funny interesting bunch!• Care about the team (their stories, journey, motivation…)• Coaching is a valuable skills

• Seek rapid feedback• 360 feedback


Wrapping upBecause this presentation has to finish at some point…


Empathy is like a muscle…


Empathy is like a muscle…• Habit 1: Cultivate curiosity about strangers

• Habit 2: Challenge prejudices and discover commonalities

• Habit 3: Try another person’s life

• Habit 4: Listen hard—and open up

• Habit 5: Inspire mass action and social change

• Habit 6: Develop an ambitious imagination


Final thoughts• Know yourself• Who we are determines how we see others• The first person we must examine is ourselves

• Know others• The world – with one exception – is composed of others• We can lift people up or take people down

• Seek rapid feedback• No one gets it right all the time


The rest is up to you…

Thanks to all the OpenCredo team and Tareq Abedrabbo for inspiration

@danielbryantuk

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.opencredo.com/

Technology

JAX London 2016: "Empathy - The hidden ingredient of good software development?"