Bait And Switch (Part 1/2)

Today we're going to talk about bait-and-switch tactics. The term is well-defined here, but basically the principle is to show something, reel the suckers in, and manipulate them into doing more or less what you intended, all the while letting them think it was their idea.

Devious, eh? Think sleight of hand is only for illusionists and conmen? Think again. Developers employ a fair bit of psychological warfare in the course of their work, not that many would ever admit it.

At least, well, not in the presence of their employers.

These tactics are mainly used against laypeople. Why laypeople?

First off, I just want to say that laypeople, for the most part, are wonderful people just like you and me. Unfortunately, due to their lack of technical knowledge, they can be a right pain in the arse to work for. Or with. As a vendor, I've had to deal with clients who are laypeople. As an in-house developer, I've had to develop systems for management who are laypeople. And they have a knack - a gift, even - for making the most frustrating decisions. Decisions that go against almost everything you know about developing working software. Decisions that undo hours and weeks of work on a whim.

Sometimes their decisions are sound - based on marketing principles, domain knowledge and very practical objectives.

And sometimes, their decisions are based on feelings. Jesus Christ.

I'm not saying you should employ these tactics. But if you do, please employ them with a modicum of subtlety. No one likes being manipulated, least of all those in managerial position who are delegating these tasks to you, the minion.

Here are a couple of examples...

Multiple choices.

The False Choice

Web developers would have gotten this one a lot. The client, or the marketing manager, want a design for the web. And they feel that they should have an array of designs to choose from. So instead of devoting your attention to one design, you have to devote your attention to several designs before you can even start working in earnest.

Sounds like fun already?

Well, let's just say you already have an idea for what the product ought to look like. But you know, from experience, that they're not going to be convinced unless you offer alternatives.

So give them alternatives. Work on the one design you think is the best choice, then spend a few minutes churning out alternative choices that are utter crap obviously sub-par. Anyone with any sense would take the design you slaved over for hours, right?

This tactic is based off this joke. It's a bit racist, but the point is in the punchline.

Dear Mother and Dad:

It has been three months since I left for college. I have been remiss in writing and I am very sorry for my thoughtlessness in not having written before. I will bring you up to date now, but before you read on, please sit down. You are not to read any further unless you are sitting down, okay.

Well then, I am getting along pretty well now. The skull fracture and the concussion I got when I jumped out of the window of my dormitory when it caught fire shortly after my arrival are pretty well healed by now. I only spent two weeks in the hospital and now I can see almost normally and only get those headaches once a day.

Fortunately, the fire in the dormitory and my jump was witnessed by an attendant at the gas station near the dorm, and he was the one who called the Fire Dept. and the ambulance. He also visited me at the hospital and since I had nowhere to live because of the burnt out dormitory, he was kind enough to invite me to share his apartment with him. It's really a basement room, but it's kind of cute. He is a very fine boy and we have fallen deeply in love and are planning to get married. We haven't set the exact date yet, but it will be before my pregnancy begins to show.

Yes, mother and dad, I am pregnant. I know how very much you are looking forward to being grandparents and I know you will welcome the baby and give it the same love and devotion and tender care you gave me when I was a child. The reason for the delay in our marriage is that my boyfriend has some minor infection which prevents us from passing our premarital blood tests and I carelessly caught it from him. This will soon clear up with the penicillin injections I am now taking daily.

I know you will welcome him into the family with open arms. He is kind and although not well educated, he is ambitious. Although he is of a different race and religion than ours, I know that your oft-expressed tolerance will not permit you to be bothered by the fact that his skin color is somewhat darker than ours. I am sure you will love him as I do. His family background is good too, for I am told his father is an important gunbearer in the village in Africa from which he comes.

Now that I have brought you up to date, I want to tell you there was no dormitory fire; I did not have a concussion or a skull fracture; I was not in the hospital; I am not pregnant; I am not engaged. I do not have syphillis, and there is no Negro in my life. However, I am getting a D in sociology and an F in science; and I wanted you to see these marks in proper perspective.

Your loving daughter,

The problem with this, is that there is no accounting for taste. The decision makers may take one look at some piece of junk you cobbled together in minutes and fall madly in love with it while the piece you poured your heart and soul into, goes languishing. It happens, trust me on this. The best advice I could give you is - just do your best. This tactic sucks, and half the time you'll end up bitterly disappointed.

Next

Let's examine another tactic, The Chaff