Stop! Do We Really need to Build This?
NET|January 2017

Starting from scratch may be the most impressive approach, but it’s not always necessary.

Liam king
Stop! Do We Really need to Build This?

A fishmonger puts a new sign up outside his shop. The sign says: Fresh fish sold here. A customer comes up to the fishmonger and tells him his new sign is a waste of money. When the fishmonger asks him why, he responds: “Well, I know you have fish, because your shop window is full of them. And I assume you are selling them and not giving them away for free. And I would certainly hope your fish are fresh. And if not here then where?”

That redundant shop sign has stuck in my head for years, and as I look around the web I’ve noticed it is littered with ‘Fresh fish sold here’ websites, apps and services; those that seemed like a good idea but weren’t really needed.

STARTING OVER

So why do we build stuff we don’t really need? It’s usually down to a combination of factors. Often, it feels easier to start over than deal with the root cause of a problem, and we can assume that new tech will automatically improve the situation. It’s easy to fall in love with solutions and get too attached to them, and once momentum picks up, it can be difficult to stop the process.

There can also be external factors. Maybe it seems like everyone else is building cool new stuff and we don’t want to get left behind, or we might be encouraged to build something new by people that can profit from it. Building something new is also a way to prove to our peers, bosses and clients we can take big, bold steps, rather than ‘fiddling at the edges’.

TAKE A STEP BACK

This story is from the January 2017 edition of NET.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2017 edition of NET.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NETView All
Camille Gribbons
NET

Camille Gribbons

UX designer at Booking.com, Camille Gribbons reveals how she first got into the industry

time-read
7 mins  |
June 2020
THE 5G UI REVOLUTION
NET

THE 5G UI REVOLUTION

Tris Tolliday describes his vision of a web UI catapulted forwards by 5G

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS
NET

HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS

Aude Barral shares 5 top tips for landing your dream developer job

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
KNIVES OUT
NET

KNIVES OUT

Murder mystery film, Knives Out, grabbed everyone’s attention, and so did the fun website that promoted it. Oblio tells Tom May how it created its innovative 3D navigation

time-read
6 mins  |
June 2020
HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH
NET

HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH

Christine Brewis, head of digital marketing at Studio Graphene, discusses how gender parity in tech has changed over the last ten years, and what more can be done

time-read
5 mins  |
June 2020
EDAN KWAN
NET

EDAN KWAN

He swapped life as a singer for a career making eye-popping digital visuals. The Lusion founder chats to Tom May about battling demons, winning awards and where digital advertising is heading

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2020
ANDREW COULDWELL
NET

ANDREW COULDWELL

The Brit in LA discusses his new book on design systems, Laying the Foundations

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All
NET

Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All

Merlyn Meredith outlines five top tips for ensuring web content is accessible for all

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?
NET

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?

Nico Turco examines the state of play with browsers, whether developers should encourage diversity or monopoly and how Google fits into it all

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2020
YEARS IN THE MAKING
NET

YEARS IN THE MAKING

Exclusively for net: The latest in a series of anonymous accounts of nightmare clients

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020