The perception of software developers is that when asked to produce something for a client, they respond with unintelligible questions. "Do you want me to do it in Ruby on Rails?" "Should I use MySql or PostgreSQL?" "Unix or Windows?"
That's given us a bit of a bad rap (as it should). We're not the only industry that does it though. When I go in for a haircut, they very rarely ask me what I want hair to look like, they focus on the tools and techniques as well. Questions like scissors or clippers, what # guide for clippers, should I use the thinning shears, how many inches to take off, etc....none of those I care at all about or ever remember.
I really just want to express my problem in terms I can understand, and then let the profession translate that into how best to deliver a solution. So next time a customer asks you for something, make sure you're helping them describe what they want, and not how to get there.
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