open web camp 2014: on fireproof, future-proof, failure-proof things

On Fireproof, Future-Proof, Failure-Proof Things.

Dylan Wilbanks OpenWebCamp VI, July 2014

!

Web: dylanwilbanks.com Twitter: @dylanw

Two huge caveats.

1. I have (almost) no answers.

2. I have (almost) no takeaways.

Philadelphia.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lschreur/101326235/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericsbinaryworld/130500981/

Fireproof?

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1865/february/philadelphia-fire.htm

What about the web?

“Building codes would never work for building code.”

“It’s different!”

“The built environment is planned!”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/structures-nyc-photos/5595474378/

“Development is not pre-planned!”

“What’s on fire today?”

The Hierarchy of Startup Code Needs

Technical debt

New features

Fixing bugs in working code

Shipping working code

The Hierarchy of Startup Code Needs

No Money, Many Problems

MAKE IT RAAAAAAAAIN

MOAR MONEY!

MONEY

Let’s talk debt.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ward_Cunningham_at_Wikimania_2006.jpg

–Developer, Apptio

“Six years ago I was asked how long it’d take for me to internationalize our code

base. I said two weeks. But we didn’t do it. Now, it would take months of work — with

multiple developers.”

Kinds of debt• Technical debt

• Design debt

• Accessibility debt

• I18N debt

• Security debt

• DevOps debt

Tech debt

• Code upgrades

• Refactoring

• “Temporary” hacks

• TODO

• Not staying up to date

Design debt• Poor usability

• Sub-optimal user flows

• Mobile Last, Mobile Not, What’s Mobile?

• “Experience rot”

• “Patch and paint” UX solutions instead of “replacing the wall”

Accessibility debt

• Doesn’t work with screen reader

• ARIA hooks not used for AJAX-based sites

• Accessibility never tested, never a priority

• “Yes, but are they the 80% case?”

You will never not have debt.

Resources vs. Revenue

But…• Poor architecture kills velocity and sales

• We always have to keep up with change in market, device, user

• Not planning for I18N is costly

• Bad security mistakes cost us money (and face)

• Bad accessibility costs us face (and money)

What do we do?

We need a building code for the web.

Clear rules: Retrofit, replace, new construction

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/New_and_Old_Bay_Bridge_(8859593785).jpg

http://www.districtenergy.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Seattle-SouthLakeUnionAerial_big.jpg

Standard sizes, standard practice.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duiceburger/3312213574/

http://idighardware.com/2010/01/survey-q3-how-can-you-tell-a-fire-door-from-a-regular-door/

Beyond web standards, beyond frameworks,

it’s practice.

What can we do?

My little part for UX

StoryCore

2014 Home Edition Live* 365! (pre-alpha preview)

StoryCore• Bootstrap for applications

• Sets the nuts and bolts pieces in place for a basic web application

• Import stories into your bug tracker of choice

• Build in key user experience requirements

• Accessibility and security acceptance criteria

Available… soonish.

What are you going to do?

Kinds of debt• Tech debt

• Design debt

• Accessibility debt

• I18N debt

• Security debt

• DevOps debt

Thank you.

Dylan Wilbanks Web: dylanwilbanks.com

Twitter: @dylanw And other fine social media networks