Master or Jack?
I am sure everyone has heard the expression “jack of all trades, master of none” before, but it usually applies to individuals. Today I would like to apply it to web applications and products to see which is the best direction to take.
Over the past couple of years the independent developer has made a huge comeback due to the power of the Internet. From del.ic.ious to Flickr to Blinksale we have seen what happens when you have one (or a couple of developers) focus their efforts on working on an application that does one thing really well. These type of applications build excitement and are the ones that you always seem to hear about, so is this the way to go?
It’s definitely easier to create one product that does one thing well, but very rarely does that application ever stay as master of one. Users ask for new features that begin to expand the reach of the application and within a couple of years you are no longer left with something that does one thing really well, but a product/service that does many things.
So this leads me to believe that it is best to plan for your application to expand over time. Don’t just think you will stick to it doing one thing really well. Of course not everyone follows that path. Some companies will decide to just release a new product that offers some of the funcationality that the old product could have integrated. Case in point, 37signals.
37signals
Back when they were a design company 37signals excelled at doing one thing really well and that was simplicity. Now that they are a service company they have created a popular application (basecamp) along with a couple other mini-apps. However, the mini-apps aren’t that much different than what could be done with Basecamp.
Is this a case of simply doing more than one should or does it make sense to spread the ideas out like this? Even though Blinksale is out now what is to stop 37signals from integrating invoicing into Basecamp? Do you add more features to an app or do you just create more apps? This is a problem I think 37signals is facing now.
Freelancing
As a freelancer do you just become the best designer out there or do you become the everyman who can code and design? If you are a developer do you master PHP and ignore Java or go for both? I know there is no definite answer to these questions, but who do you think ends up being the most successful?
Indeed I find it hard to keep up, but in a way I think that if you do not concentrate on a specific line of work, you will not succced.
For exmaple…
Look at doctors, they go to school for 8 years to become general doctors, and study for a couple more years to become a ’specialist’.
Although I believe you have to know a little of everything, your efford should be concentrated into a predefined goal of becoming a specialist in a specific area.
By Bruno on August 1, 2005 9:55 am
37signals are masters of simplicity - I really doubt that they would try to become a ‘jack of all trades’ type of company. That being said though, all three of their applications are basically the same. Calling Ta-da lists and Backpack ‘mini apps’ is a good way to describe them - the impression that I get is that they’re simply marketing vehicles to encourage people to sign up to the ‘premium’ application which is of course, Basecamp.
An important factor that they would need to consider is if they expand one of their existing applications, will they increase the fee to compensate for the extra work, or absorb the cost and hope that because of the extra features more people sign up.
It seems to me that their best bet to make money from new work is to release it seperately and market it using the resources they already have.
In response to your last question, I think it really depends on how good you are at any one thing. If you’re not brilliant at something, it stands to reason that expanding your skillset to compensate is a smart investment of time and money. For a designer, that might mean learning to code another language. Of course, you can choose to learn something that will add your current skill set, for example, many designers are learning Ruby on Rails.
By Jake Tracey on August 1, 2005 9:55 am
As a freelancer, I decided a while back to find 1 path to master (I chose Apache/PHP/Mysql), and I would not touch anything else. I realized that I was spending too much time learning, and not enough time applying. By focusing on 1 path, I think it gives me sufficient time to keep learning about php/mysql issues, while still having a lot of time to apply my expertise.
Since I focus on php/mysql development issues, I have gotten much better at what I do, and have almost tripled my hourly rate within 1 years time…
Who ends up being the most successful? That really doesn’t matter to me. I chose a path of learning/applying that I really enjoy, and as long I can make good money doing it… I will.
By Kyle Posey on August 1, 2005 10:05 am
The freelancer, I think, doesn’t have the luxury of only doing one thing well. When you’re on your own, by definition, it’s impossible to have one guy for CSS, another for PHP, another for db management and so on.
You basically have two options as a freelancer. If you deal directly with clients you have to be the Photoshop/XHTML/CSS/Apache/PHP/MySQL guy, there’s no way around it.
Now, if you’re a master at PHP or (God forbid) Flash then you can still be a freelancer, but your client will be other developers looking for sub-contract work, not the end client.
Personally, after doing so for seven years, I’m tired of building sites for clients and more and more I see us freelance designers starting more webapp oriented companies like Firewheel and 37Signals have done
By Alex Cabrera on August 1, 2005 10:27 am
I think that mastering one are, but keeping your eyes open for what could possibly replace your bread and butter is the best way.
I have chosen LAMP as my bread and butter, but I am slowly learning Ruby since I firmly believe that it will replace PHP as the language of choice for web application developement.
Trying to spread yourself to thin does nothing but dilute your effectiveness.
Do I have opinions or what?
By Chris J. Davis on August 1, 2005 10:31 am
I believe that you if start small and stay focused on a clearly defined goal/series of objectives, then you’ll be successful. It may take years to get there, but you’ll make it one way or another.
Then once success arrives, that in itself is another opportunity to which you should set goals and objectives. Success requires adaptability and it doesn’t have to come at the cost of enjoyable work; simply a different type of work.
geof
By Geof Harries on August 1, 2005 10:34 am
Reading the comments, I like the ’specialist’ analogy. I think, though, that in today’s marketplace, I need to specialize in a discipline (like ecommerce) rather than in just design, coding, etc.
Personally, I’m a jack of all trades, and if I stumble upon a problem I can’t solve, I keep a network of subcontractors that can. A client recently wanted a press release, so I referred him to someone who writes press releases for a living, and he was more than appreciative for the referral since I knew the best person for the job.
Often, we as professionals need to have a broad area of knowledge but also a network of true ’specialists’ we can rely on to get us out of tough spots.
By Rick on August 1, 2005 10:56 am
There are so many emerging technologies that even if you mastered EVERY one of the programming languages, databases, editors, tools, etc. available today by next week you’d be behind again.
It’s important to be somewhat of a renaissance man when you’re designing web sites, because we know that “web design” encompasses coding, design, UI, IA, copywriting, graphics design, and numerous other things (in addition to having to know how to run a business, including sales and marketing).
But it’s important to focus, especially when you’re pitching yourself to a client. You don’t want to be “the guy who kinda does a lot of stuff” but rather be the best “XML data integration specialist” or whatever.
By Jough Dempsey on August 1, 2005 11:10 am
Jake - Being a master of simplicity is different when you are dealing with just web design. However, when you have a product and company that you are looking to expand (maybe just by revenue) you have to look for new ways to do it. It could be argued that only seeing a ceiling with regards to revenue and design work 37signals looked for the best way to increase their money without increasing the workload or workforce so they went the Basecamp route.
Sooner or later competitors are going to revamp their services and design and offer them compeition and the only thing separating them will be the feature sets.
For freelancers it’s easy to say you can stick with doing one thing well because there are so many clients out there it’s hard to consider anyone competition. However, in the web app market place where compeition is more fierce being a master of one thing might not be the best option.
By Scrivs on August 1, 2005 12:40 pm
About a year ago I made a promise to myself that I would never write PHP or do development work for clients ever again. It’s not that I’m an incompetent developer (I can write PHP and Java pretty well) it’s just that I enjoy design much more. Fortunately I’ve aligned myself with developers who feel just the opposite — they live to write PHP, and design just doesn’t “do it” for them.
Once in awhile I get a craving to write some cool Javascript or PHP, but I save those cravings for personal sites :)
By Mike on August 1, 2005 1:21 pm
I think it depends on where you want to go with your career, personally. Do you wish to be that badass designer? Or do you wish to be the one leading projects?
I’m going with the jack-of-all-trades, but defiantely specialize in something. I can do HTML/CSS/JS like no other. I can design decently, and program decently, and IA decently. Right now I’m a Technical Producer (Front-end guy that makes designs a reality) and it pays to be able to understand what can be accomplished in the engineering side of things, and how to make that a reality with the design the designers invision while sticking to usability/functionality guidelines set forth by IA.
If you look at it, 37signals is a company - not one person. As a whole they are great at doing anything they focus on really well. But, say we let DHH (programmer for 37s) design, build, and implement an app of his own. It would have some kickass features… but would it be as usable or pretty as if Jason had stepped in? I’d say not - and I think David would agree with me here.
Engineers need to learn to set their ego aside and say to an IA “Here, I’ve got this form I need to build. Here’s the required information - can you give me a sketch of how best to implement this with some helpful text?” The IA now needs to put their ego aside and hand it off to the designers and say “Here’s a wireframe of a form we need implemented. Can you put together a design comp that reflects the brand and look-n-feel of the site?” The designer then needs to hand it off to someone who knows how to integrate the front-end with the back-end logic. Here you have 4 people that are doing exactly what they do the best - but if the Engineer didn’t have the knowledge of what IA/Design/Web Production can do, they might have assumed something was impossible, or that design details weren’t neccecary, or that the user can figure it out well enough - and that’s what results in bad apps. I think what sets 37s apart is that they have the common sense to set their egos aside and ask each other for help.
I’ve seen Engineer-designed apps. They’re useless. I’ve seen Designer-programmed apps. They’re useless. I’ve seen apps without focus or clear goals. They’re useless.
I think the idea is to have a general understanding of all pieces of the puzzle, but focus your efforts on one particular piece. That way you can make the best piece possible, while still being able to fit your piece in with the big picture.
By Kyle on August 1, 2005 4:15 pm
I think it’s best to have an understanding of as much as possible while specializing in one area. I believe you can always accomplish more with a team than as an individual. Find a few people who can understand one another with each specializing in something different and you’ve got something.
By Chris Campbell on August 1, 2005 9:14 pm
Specializing in simply one area does have its advantages. Not only can you develop a complete grasp of the subject but you will also build a reputation for it. Ultimately, if you continue to specialize you put yourself up to the ‘the expert’. That itself can be quite successful for freelancers.
From the point of view of being a company, then you need to have a broad range of skills on tap, either in-house or via contractors.
There isn’t one solution. It depends on your goals.
By Nick Tatt on August 3, 2005 4:04 am