Assumptions
In the web development world, those of us who preach best practices and who advise other developers how they might do something, often make too many assumptions. Most of us know that assumptions are the mother of all screw-ups
so we should try to restrict that.
We are very lucky in our industry that so many people share so much advice for free. When we write articles and tutorials to help others, that is what we are doing. Many other industries would guard such “secrets” dearly, or sell them at a cost. We in the web industry do not do that.
But we do often make too many assumptions about those who may be reading what we write which can lead to frustration on the reader’s part.
We need to bear in mind that not everyone
- has access to the latest technology and tools
- can drop support for older browsers
- can test on many devices
- can use a pattern library
- can influence decisions on important topics such as accessibility
- has control over the all of the HTML that is produced
- can attend conferences
- is in a position to “just change jobs” because they don’t like the one they are currently in
It’s difficult to empathise with others when you are not in their position and therefore cannot understand the issues they face.
So my request to those who share their experiences in written or oral form, please continue to do so, but also please bear in mind that not everyone can take on board what you say, and reflect that in the language that you use.