They’re mystery markers to a secret buried beneath.
My friend Jesse joined a class field trip to a nature area just outside of Portland. There are hundreds of acres of wooded hills and soggy hiking trails.
And several manholes.
The industrial emblems seemed out of place, which made him pause and scratch his head.
In fact, I stopped just as suddenly when he posted a photo:
For those who know the story, these blend in. For the rest of us, they stand out like a peacock in a penguin parade.
Before I tell you what purpose plumbing the wilderness serves, consider how developers see your product when they don’t know the story:
Your landing pages, documentation, and even blog posts make assumptions. It may be impossible for you to identify the untold stories because they’re part of your internal context.
Without even meaning to, you’re laying pipe down next to nature trails.
Jesse was hiking with an elementary school group at Tryon Creek State Natural Area. According to the ranger who guided the class, the park was intended to become a housing development. In the most Oregon turn of events, the community rallied to preserve nature instead.
But not before sewer lines had been installed. Apparently, they even built some roads.
Years later, the manholes remain, relics of technical debt in the codebase of the state park system.
Now that you know the rest of the story, how will you apply it to your situation?
- Look at your product with fresh eyes (or ​ask someone for help​)
- Remember it’s never too late to listen to your community
You can’t avoid a few manholes. The question is what you can do to make them less intrusive.