Ever since the world’s first engineers started their work, the race has been on to create the next big thing. Over the decades, this has lead to a huge amount of competition across almost every market, while also promoting rapid development of important products. Of course, like most parts of society, the way that technology changes can often be linked to consumer trends, creating a divide between the work which has to be done by professionals and amateur users. In business, this has a big impact, and this post is going to be showing exactly what it has changed the most.
First, it’s important to understand the balance between the work which different types of users have to do. Over the last few years, DIY services and tools have become some of the most popular on the market, making the life of a general user nice and simple. With the complexity of a tool like this, though, it takes a lot of skilled professionals to keep things running, and their work gets harder with every added feature. Likewise, as users expect more feature-packed products, workloads are increasing across the world of technology. When user experience improves, those behind the scenes always have more on their plate.
Of course, the best way to show you how this has impacted the world is with some examples. Below, you can find some real-world services, products, and professional fields which have all been impacted by this sort of evolution. This makes it nice and easy to see the exact stage which makes a professional’s work get harder. While this also enables them to demand higher pay, it is still a very interesting field, and this could also help you to find some tools which can support your own business.
Web Design & Development
The User’s Perspective: Websites are essential to almost all businesses, but they don’t always come cheap. Having a professional developer make your site from scratch will cost a small fortune, as this is a lengthy job, and will involve a lot of work. To solve this issue, loads of companies have released DIY website builder tools which can enable a business to make their own website. Options like Wix and Squarespace are the most popular for this. These tools make it possible to put together a website without any code whatsoever, while also covering challenges like hosting and domain registration.
The Professional’s Perspective: From the point of view of a web designer, DIY tools often create more work than they are worth. While these options will work for a business when they are still small, they will often need something with more flexibility within a year or so, leaving the pro to pick up the pieces. Along with this, building a DIY website creator is a challenge in itself, creating loads of room for issues, while also adding a lot of work to the developer’s to-do list. Of course, though, this can also impact their ability to make money, as a lot of people assume they don’t need any help.
Marketing & Social Media
The User’s Perspective: Marketing is a very important part of modern business. With so many companies out there, it’s essential that there is any easy way to handle this side of your work, and this has lead to a lot of change in this industry over the last few years. Nowadays, using options like Influencer marketing, businesses don’t even have to make their own content for platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This has proven to be an excellent way to sell all kinds of products and services, including those which are often a pain to advertise.
This doesn’t stop with influencers, though, and there are more tools out there which can help a business with their marketing. Companies like Google have loads of resources available which can make them into your SEO guide. Providing advice, metrics, and loads of other information, this can make it possible to create a very solid background for your business’s marketing. Of course, like the other areas in this post, the ease found by users is often at the expense of professionals, and this field is no exception to that rule.
The Professional’s Perspective: With so many blog posts, tools, and other resources available around the web, a lot of companies trick themselves into thinking that marketing is easy. They will assume that they don’t need a professional to help them, and this makes it very hard for people in this industry to get work. Likewise, it also creates a very strict set of rules which have to be followed. In the world of SEO, for example, the space has become harder and harder to work in over the last couple of decades. To combat unfairness, those in control of search engines have had to add hoops to jump through over time.
When you have influencers, social media marketing, and the traditional forms of online marketing all be handled by other people, it often pays to have someone there to find them for you. In the past, marketing companies could get away with solely using a service like AdWords to do their job. Nowadays, though, things are a little more complicated. For the companies supporting this part of the business, a lot of learning has had to be done, with the services they have to offer to stay competitive changing all the time.
Office Work & Management
The User’s Perspective: Spreadsheets and Word documents are ubiquitous in an office setting. Giving your employees the tools they need to do their jobs, software like this has had to come a long way in recent years. Options like Office 365 reflect this, putting a lot more on the table than simple document creation. They can host your emails, store data for you, and even give you a platform to communicate with other businesses without having to pay extra. Most importantly, though, software tools like this are some of the best for collaboration, enabling users to work on the same projects at the same time.
The Professional’s Perspective: Like the areas above, including new features and making software bigger always takes loads of time, and can often be very frustrating for those having to work with it. While Office 365 makes for a great user experience, setting it up can be a nightmare, and it can take some serious learning to get to grips with it. Single Sign-On, for example, enables users to have one password for all of their services but will involve a lot of complicated setup when it comes to the servers you have on-site. A lot of businesses regret trying to implement things like this, thanks to their complicated nature.
Computer & Device Repairs
The User’s Perspective: Over the last decade or so, the features which can be found inside of a modern computer, smartphone, and other electronic devices has greatly improved. Computers, for example, are being found with water cooling options more often than ever before, while almost every phone on the market has some sort of fingerprint scanner. This makes for a great time to be interested in technology. On the flip side, though, the challenges which this can create often impact customers at some point, be it when they are getting a repair or when they pay for the device in question.
The Professional’s Perspective: Being an electronics repair professional is much more complicated than it used to be. Far fewer devices are being built to be easy to take apart, creating very convoluted systems to get them open. Along with this, with things on the move so quickly, it can be hard to keep up with new standards and technologies as they come out, leaving gaps in people’s education. Sometimes, one phone will require its own course, tools, and even certifications to be easy to repair. When it comes to computers with features like water cooling and overclocks, though, things will become even more intense.
For a lot of people working in the field of technology, having an added challenge in their work day is something they will accept with open arms. Being a developer, repair person, or any other role in this industry is a grueling one, especially when you are doing it for yourself. This is part of the fun of the role, but it is also something which can be hard to deal with when you’re trying to serve people well. If you’re simply a user, you can enjoy all of the benefits this brings, while also keeping in mind the struggle they face when you next consider complaining to support.
Hopefully, with all of this in mind, you will have a good idea of the balance between user ease and professional stress. As an industry is blooming, there will always be times of great change, and this shakes things up for a lot of people. This is part of the process, though, and the professionals wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the revolution which is forcing technology to improve and adapt.
