Comment by whatshisface
6 years ago
Not every problem can be solved manually. There are many businesses where the technology itself is the valuable thing, not just glue between humans doing all the work. "Don't write code" is smart when the code could be replaced by a person and a spreadsheet but that is not always the case.
Examples include circuit board layout programs, finite element modeling, any engineered hardware product, entertainment (like computer games), or anything other than pure business, really.
> Examples include circuit board layout programs, finite element modeling, any engineered hardware product, entertainment (like computer games), or anything other than pure business, really.
"Don't write code" really means "prototype first for your potential users". So if your code won't have users/customers, then write away. But hardware and entertainment can absolutely have low-fi cheap prototypes.
This approach is designed to elicit learnings to make a better product that's cheaper and faster to build. Of course you can write code first, but my experience suggests that that's a slower and more expensive approach.
To further your point, there is always a risk that some assumption you're making will turn out to be wrong. You should build the product only when the risk of not building it is greater than the risk of your assumptions being wrong.
Users fixate on low-fi even if you tell them it's a prototype. Talk about a blocking bug.