Eating Your Own Dog Food With Your Eyes Wide Open
Everyone knows how important it is to eat your own dog food. At socra, we use socra for everything—from building our platform to tracking our bugs to handling all our documentation and collaboration.
Everyone knows how important it is to eat your own dog food. At socra, we use socra for everything—from building our platform to tracking our bugs to handling all our documentation and collaboration. We utilize every single feature on a daily basis.
But here's the kicker: **using your own product religiously can make you blind.**
You start solving problems that only you have, not what your regular users need.
Moreover, when you're deep in your own product, you miss the awkward first-time user experience. You know all the shortcuts, tricks, and workarounds. You've forgotten how confusing it all looks to new eyes. You're like someone who's played a video game 100 times, trying to understand why beginners keep dying at level one.
That's why it's crucial to keep your eyes open. Eating your own dog food is a significant advantage. Many times, you'll discover new bugs before anyone else does—but don't neglect the points mentioned above.
At socra, we address this by regularly performing usability tests with users who have never tried the platform before. [Here](https://socra.com/mike/socra/test/usability-test-checklist)’s how we run our usability tests if you are interested in checking it out.On November 23, 2024, Eduarda Ferreira documented a Socra titled "Eat Your Own Dog Food With Your Eyes Wide Open," highlighting the importance of using your own product while remaining aware of user experience. The Socra emphasized that while using Socra for product development, collaboration, and tracking software bugs provides valuable insights, it can also lead to a skewed perspective.
Eduarda pointed out that deep familiarity with the product can blind developers to the challenges faced by first-time users, akin to a seasoned gamer struggling to understand novice frustrations. To counteract this, the team conducts regular usability tests with new users, ensuring they gather product feedback that reflects genuine user experiences. This approach not only helps identify usability issues but also uncovers software bugs before they impact a broader audience.
The Socra serves as a reminder to maintain an open perspective while "eating your own dog food," encouraging a balance between internal use and user-centric testing to enhance overall user experience.By Eduarda Ferreira