The "Yes, But" Syndrome

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:13:26 +0000

Every piece of software I’ve developed elicits the same two reactions when users see it for the first time:

First: “Wow, this is cool. We can really use this.”

Then, immediately: “Yes, but… now that I see it, what about this? Wouldn’t it be nice if…? Whatever happened to…?”

The “Yes, But” syndrome is universal. It comes from the nature of software as something intangible – until users see it, they can’t fully articulate what they need. Seeing the implementation triggers new ideas, new concerns, new requirements that weren’t visible before.

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The "Yes, But" Syndrome