Ryan Kim
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operations · building · 5 min

Operators are not users

A note on the difference between the person who signs up for your software and the person whose Tuesday night it actually runs.

Software people use the word "user" for everyone who touches a product. It is a useful abstraction in a consumer app. It is a lazy one in a vertical business.

An operator is someone whose shift depends on the tool working. They are not evaluating your onboarding flow. They are trying to close out the night.

The two tests

Every feature in an operator tool has to pass two tests. First: does it survive a double-booked Saturday? Second: does the night-shift manager, who did not install it and did not want to, still hit the right button on the first try?

If either answer is "mostly," the feature is not done. It is a demo.

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