Engineers tend to be more intellectual (and geeky) than the rest of society at large, even though we stay conservative whilst we avoid boasting or blowing our own trumpet.

I can’t say for certain what you’re like, but I know I’m very logical, methodical and structured in my thoughts but equally find myself falling into the abyss of philosophy and abstract thinking.

I guess, over my 18+ year professional career this has helped me more times than I care to think.

Being empathetic and human-aware has given many Engineers an edge throughout history.

We often start with a product specification.

Structured. Compartmentalised. Ordered.

We then address each part of the design, step-by-step, ticking off the boxes as we go.

Design. Tolerances, Fit. Finish.

We consider the failure modes, often only at obvious and predictable points.

Check. Check. And Check ✅ .

…

And it’s no different when developing digital software products or any kind for that matter.

As intellectuals, we tend to lean on our structured, logical thinking and reason all that we can.

Yet, our products are being designed for humans.

Human nature is at play.

This is the intellectual trap we fall into, just like the Engineers of the past faced.

Being aware of this is the first step to addressing it.

One way of thinking that I’ve found to be practically useful is to consider yourself as a channel for new ideas, but with a complete openness to failure with a humble stance to learn more about what you’re trying to release into the world.

In other words we should be passionate about what we’re building but know we don’t have all the answers to any given problem.

Some of it is held squarely in the mind of the end-user.

And they too won’t always tell you what you should build or where it can be improved.

Welcome to human nature.

This is the ultimate responsibility we hold as Engineers today.

See you soon. 👋

Nasser

Title image source: “https://www.technologyreview.com/2007/03/01/226479/engineering-the-brain/amp/”