Whenever I leave my neighborhood by car, I’m taken past a grocery store whose name makes me shake my head.
As I wait at a stoplight, the glowing yellow-orange sign calls out to me.
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QFC is a Northwest (US) grocery chain. The name is an acronym for Quality Food Centers.
“Quality” has always felt like a brand promise best left implied. The definition of quality may differ between shoppers, but I think they all expect good food, no matter where they shop.
Inevitably, as I sit in judgement of a company that has been in business longer than I’ve been alive, I realize I’m also in the quality business.
We all are. Our names aren’t Quality Developer Content (QDC®️?), but our output has to be.
And 10-20 years in (depending how you count), it’s honestly still the hardest part of my work.
Developers sniff out inauthentic content that “hand waves” over technical details. Heck, they’ll even hold minimal product mentions against you:
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You can’t control what developers think is high quality, but you can take some steps to increase the chance you’ll hit the mark:
- Understand the struggles they deal with every day
- Show them how you combat similar problems
- Make the next, natural step to keep in touch
Of course, three bullet points might miss the bit about how hard it can be.
I’m happy to commiserate and look for solutions. And I’ll try to avoid that “quality” word, even though it’s where we’re all aiming.