This resonates. I've seen teams where backend engineers build technically correct APIs that are impossible for the frontend to use well — resulting in janky UX that nobody on the backend team ever sees.
The simplest fix I've found: have engineers (backend included) watch one real user try the feature they built. Not a QA pass — an actual person encountering it for the first time. The disconnect between "it works" and "someone can use it" becomes viscerally obvious.
Most backend engineers I know actually care about this once they see it. They just never get exposed to real usage.
This resonates. I've seen teams where backend engineers build technically correct APIs that are impossible for the frontend to use well — resulting in janky UX that nobody on the backend team ever sees.
The simplest fix I've found: have engineers (backend included) watch one real user try the feature they built. Not a QA pass — an actual person encountering it for the first time. The disconnect between "it works" and "someone can use it" becomes viscerally obvious.
Most backend engineers I know actually care about this once they see it. They just never get exposed to real usage.