Lessons from Hollywood: How enterprise software design should be like making a movie
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The document compares the process of making a movie in Hollywood to the design of enterprise software, highlighting the differences in clarity of goals, roles, and tools used. It argues that enterprise software often suffers from poorly defined outcomes and lack of professionalism, leading to user dissatisfaction. The author advocates for adopting Hollywood's goal-oriented approach and proper tools to improve user experience in enterprise software development.
Lessons from Hollywood: How enterprise software design should be like making a movie
- 1. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. Lessons from Hollywood How enterprise software design is like making a movie
- 2. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 2 Imagine you have a family day scheduled. Saturday morning, you all gather around to plan the day.
- 3. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 3 You all decide to watch a movie Saturday evening. And you all agree upon sci-fi.
- 4. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 4 Your son has an iPhone. It has a video camera, so you ask him to make the movie. You tell him it should be a struggle of good vs evil set in the context of earth's first encounter with aliens. There should also be a small romance subplot.
- 5. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 5 Later in the day, you also clarify that the film needs to be PG.
- 6. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 6 It is 10pm. Your son is ready to show his film.
- 7. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 7 Barbie’s Space Adventure
- 8. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 8 How do you think it will look? Will it be enjoyable? Will it satisfy the family's expectations? Will your daughter be annoyed? Will your son be stressed? Will he be proud of his contribution and eager to make another film? Will you want to do this again?
- 9. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 9 How is this different from the way Hollywood makes movies?
- 10. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 10 How Hollywood makes a movie Clearly defined outcome (goal) Numerous specialized roles Schedule Professional tools designed for the task Preproduction screenplay and story boards Collaborative review of dailies Post production editing Test screening How Hollywood makes a movie
- 11. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 11 How Hollywood makes a movie Clearly defined outcome (goal) Numerous specialized roles Schedule Professional tools designed for the task Preproduction screenplay and story boards Collaborative review of dailies Post production editing Test screening How the enterprise makes software Desired outcome (goal) is poorly defined and subject to change Frequently done by nonprofessionals with little to no experience Often no schedule – just assumptions Use the tools at hand (e.g. Excel, SharePoint, Access, etc.) No up-front UX design – UX is left to engineer’s whim Programmer works autonomously Software is “done” when engineer finishes programming No comparison of outcome vs original goal How Hollywood makes a movie How the enterprise makes software
- 12. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 12 The result is disappointed users, some of whom are genuinely frustrated. Many feel that enterprise software is a complete waste of their time.
- 13. Copyright © Ben Adams 2013 All rights reserved. 2013-07-28Page 13 The enterprise needs to learn from Hollywood. Goal-oriented design combined with the proper tools will revolutionize our users’ experience.