Requirement: I want to put a link in this position on the page.

“Isn’t it easy? Just add an A tag to the HTML file.”

The person making the request may not know what they really want

People who put forward demands usually just combine what they can see with what they want, and deduce the so-called “demands” with their own logic.

People in different fields and at different levels describe requirements differently. It’s hard to know what someone is really trying to do just by looking at their description of the requirements. For example, with a request for a link above, the person who actually made the request might want something like:

  • Count users per click
  • You can modify the text and address of this link yourself
  • Display different links for users in different locales
  • .

Requirements are just a subjective way of describing, and the direct reference value is not high. We need to talk to the demand side about the background, why are we asking for this? Have you considered or tried any other options?

1. Your requirements don’t really need to be developed

Many demands are simply the result of underutilization of existing resources. Meeting such a need may be a matter of allocating resources without committing additional development.

  • If you only link to the active page, you can configure it in the background without putting it into development
  • This link is fixed to the current user profile center page, and we have ready-made components that can be used directly

Satisfying the requirements without writing code is the most elegant way to do it.

2. Your needs are better this way

The person making the requirement may lack awareness of certain aspects, so we can give some suggestions during the background phase of the requirement.

  • Putting the link in a different location will result in a higher conversion rate and will not make users feel nauseous
  • You may need to limit the number of words here, this space can only hold 15 words, otherwise the line will break

This advice also varies from person to person, and if the person making the request is more sensory than our product, it’s a bit like teaching your grandmother how to suck eggs. However, this does not prevent us from asking “why put the link here” when we understand the requirements. We can ask with the mentality of learning and improving ourselves.

3. You can’t do this

Some demands may not be done at the present stage, but the reasons may be beyond the cognition of the demand side.

  • Control of the linked copy and text is given to an external entity, which cannot pass security assessments
  • This page can not be a lot of traffic, we need to optimize the performance first, otherwise the server will not be able to carry

At times like this, explain what you need to say no. There are issues of principle that cannot be tolerated, and it is only a matter of time before you try to satisfy them.

Of course, sometimes there will be some demand side who cannot communicate with each other at the same point. At this time, we can consider talking about feelings and values.

4. Find a high ROI balance

The person making the demand may not know how much it will cost to implement, and bargaining may be necessary.

  • The link to this place may not be available until next month, but in the form of a button it will be available tomorrow
  • Being able to make changes in real time can take a week’s work, but if you tolerate a one-hour delay, it can be done immediately

If we look at the background, we can find that some parts of the demand side’s description have nothing to do with the background at all, just decided by the head.

If you just add an entry, it doesn’t have to be in the form of a link, you can do it with a button. If a button solution doesn’t require any development, and changing links may require cross-team collaboration and App release, why stick with buttons?

The last

After taking everything into consideration, I chose to add an A tag to the HTML file. Requirements really just want to add a link, there is no such a mess as I thought.

But that’s not something to regret, and the probability of something happening before it reaches its final state is enough to make us think about all these questions. Lucky mentality will eventually be defeated by Murphy’s law.