How to communicate with developers?
Have you ever had a hard time communicating with developers at work?
I had such an experience when I was a new developer. If you had such an experience, I think it happened because you have different expertise.
In this post, I will summarize the reasons why communication is not going well and how to deal with them.
When it is difficult to understand the terms
Developers and non-developers have different levels of understanding of technical terms and concepts, which can cause errors in communication.
To deal with this, you should try to know the terms and concepts that each other talked about, and ask and listen to the explanation when you do not understand.
When something is vague
If the description or request for the function or service is vague, the other person has to guess some of the work, and this can result in a different result from the expectation.
To prevent this, it is important to review all the steps and make clear and specific requests.
When there is not enough information
As long as you collaborate, it is good to share enough information as 'one team'. Especially, explaining 'why you requested this' is more important than anything.
The more information you provide, the more faithful the result will be to the purpose, and sometimes you can get a better suggestion from the other person.
Episode: Difference in thinking process between planner and developer
How would planners and developers think if they added a function to upload daily photos on Instagram?
The planner explains why the photo upload function is needed and designs the screen, and the developer thinks about the technical problems related to the photo upload.
The planner expresses his thoughts in documents, and the developer approaches with logic.
In this way, you need to adjust to each other when you have a conversation because you have different expertise.
Conclusion
It is most important to understand and respect each other as 'one team' with colleagues you work with.
Even if the other person is not a developer but a different job, if you understand and apply the job, you can get better collaboration and better results.