Know what is Developer's Bias and stay away from it!
Do you know what Developer's Bias is? 🤔 It's a common syndrome we developers have and here's how you can break it 💥
We developers have a problem: we think we can build anything and use it ourselves instead of paying for it. But that's not correct! 🚫
Let me make it clear with an example: Todoist.
It's a simple to-do app with a monthly subscription of $5.
Now, we might think, "I can develop that app myself." But, hear me out!
The payment we provide them includes:
👉 The research they've done to make a feature usable.
👉 The efforts they've put in to integrate with other applications. (Slack, G-Cal, etc.)
👉 Client app support across multiple platforms (browser extensions, desktop, web apps, etc.).
👉 Constant improvement of existing features or the development of new ones.
👉 And many more.
Now, can we do all of this consistently just to save $5? Absolutely not! 🙅♂️
The efforts involved in doing these are enormous, and there's an entire company dedicated to it. So, instead of building it ourselves, paying for the subscription seems like a smarter choice. 💡
Does that mean we should never build an app for ourselves? Not at all. 🙌
Here's when it makes sense to build the app ourselves:
- When there are no apps on the market suitable for our needs.
- When the amount we'd pay for an app is less than or equal to the value of the time we save by not developing it ourselves.
- When the existing apps in the market have major pain points, solving them could even lead to a new startup or business idea.
If any of these criteria are met, then building it ourselves might be the way to go! 🚀
In the end, it's all about balancing time and effort. ⚖️
So, the next time you think about building an app yourself, take a moment to reflect on whether it's really worth the time and effort you're about to invest. Then, decide wisely! ✅
And, don't forget to follow me. I'll be dropping some interesting stuffs soon 😉
Your fellow developer,
Navayuvan Subramanian
