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Breaking a Mobile App to Advance Missional Innovation

by Ann Cochrum

Part of my job is breaking things.  I work on a team that is trying to improve the God Tools app.  This makes it necessary to honestly look at how the app is performing and be open to testing what works and what doesn’t as well as getting feedback from others about those same things.

We all love to see what’s working well with our apps, but it’s equally important to learn what isn’t working. The problem with trying to break things is that sometimes you succeed. And then you have to deal with the consequences. Ouch  – why is this so hard?

I like to think of myself as someone who loves truth but yet when it’s about something I hold dear, I find myself tempted to be in denial about what’s really happening.  Denial feels safer.  Reality feels threatening.

  • Will it mean more delays before release?
  • Will it mean letting go of something that’s just not working?
  • Will it make me feel like I’m doing a bad job?
  • Is it being rejected by others?

But wouldn’t embracing some honesty make it a better product that could be more effective?  Isn’t that what I ultimately want?

Feedback – do we want to hear it?  – Ears to hear and eyes to see.  I heard a sermon once on hearing from God.  The minister proposed that a good condition for hearing from God is being willing to hear.

So whether it’s for product testing or job performance or even hearing how my choices impact others, I’m trying to remember and embrace the reality that feedback ultimately gets me where I want to go. It’s not easy and it’s still a work in progress, but if you want to grow, if you want your products to improve and evolve, you need to be willing to hear the truth, even when it hurts. What feedback do you need to embrace today?

AnnAnn Cochrum is a digital evangelist, prayer warrior, wife, and mother of two. When she’s not breaking apps, she is neck-deep in translation software and helping answer the big questions on EveryStudent.com. Ann is Indigitous.