So, you are working on this super-duper set of software in the security (crypto) space.  You are using all the latest software techniques and tools.  You have a systems group that knows how all the supporting software and hardware works.  You design the ui and some underlying behavior and have some questions as to how the end user might do something.  WRONG!

If you think about it the number of end users for your product that exist in the world is small.  Then they have to be articulate, open to change, etc…  This limits the number to probably a handful.  Then you have the small detail – they have to be available.  Any person who meets the above criteria is likely on call, in the field at all times.

So, you get proxies:

• trainers in the States (again who aren’t occupied and likely in high demand due to low numbers of real users),
• consultants who did they job some years ago (and are therefore dated in their knowledge), and
• long time employees (who have always had this 3rd hand point of view)

For those of you who have developed code I assume you are just as amazed as I am.