Heisenberg Effect in Software

One of the greatest services that software engineers provide is that we help people understand their own thought processes. We're transcribers of human thought, in a way. We have to understand a human process so intricately that we can write down instructions in another language that the dumbest, most literal being on earth (a computer) can follow.

We hold a mirror up to the user: We built this system in your image--does this look like you? Is the image distorted? If so, how? In the Agile philosophy, we hold this mirror up as early and often as we can.

Another metaphor I like comes from an old interview with Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas (of "Pragmatic Programmer" fame), where they described a Heisenberg effect in the process of building software for people:

Software [has] a Heisenberg effect, where delivering the software changes the user's perception of the requirements.

Users need to see our interpretation of what they told us. That helps them understand themselves better, and then, we can understand them better.