Sheng here, writing in the third person again.
It's nearly February, but we're just getting around to new year planning. As many of you know, 2021 ended with us up to our elbows in deadlines. Now, we're catching our breath, looking ahead, and making changes.
Business goals have never been in short supply, but once we've gotten to a place to achieve them, they've often changed, gone away altogether, or something else has taken priority. So, instead of waxing poetic about our goals for this year, I want to bring you up to speed on what we're actively working on, and where we're looking to go next.
I'd also like to pause for a moment and reflect on the last 2.5 years of working together – and some of you have been along for the entire ride. I could've never dreamed of calling this my day job, but here we are, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you.
We've been incredibly fortunate to have some talented folks join our team over the past few months, most just before the holidays. I've repeatedly told our contractors, "I'm not a manager." It's no secret I have no formal leadership training, and honestly?– I don't love telling people what to do. Practically, this non-strategy has worked to-date. But we've clearly outgrown that mindset, as has the demand for our services – thanks to folks like you.
So, what does this mean for day-to-day operations? Nothing, immediately. But over the next few months, you'll be introduced to a few more faces in Slack, emails, and on Zoom calls. These folks excel in their particular fields – something no one person could single-handedly do.
With that said, I'm not going anywhere: I'll still be reachable by email, Slack, or phone – but will be spending more time focused on consulting for existing projects and less on administration, planning, and engineering.
We'll always be in the business of building quality custom software – that will never change. Nor will our core values: building long-lasting, ethically-created software, designed for humans. I'm excited to see the fresh, new, and diverse ideas, talent, and passion these folks are already bringing to the table. And I'm proud we get to do this with companies and individuals like you, who are looking to build software that defies the status quo.
Building "good" software has only ever been the baseline. Here are some areas we're actively exploring. If you're interested in learning more about anything in particular, please reach out!
Human validation, error tracking, multi-device testing, uptime monitoring, and on-the-fly bug patches are great, and we're confident in the tools we've employed to date. However, as we begin taking on more complex projects and continue building out your existing projects, automation becomes a critical component to ensure stability. This will continue to be an increased focus over the coming months.
Do you know what the carbon footprint of your web app or site is? We don't, either. We'd like to offer tools to ourselves and you to measure the impact the software we build and use has on the environment, along with sustainable alternatives. (Did you know there are certain geographical regions of servers that are entirely carbon offset (AWS' U.S. West Oregon region, for instance), or that the size of assets on your website directly impacts energy usage? Websites that load quickly are an indicator it's eco-friendly!)
Unless you have a visual, physical, or related impairment requiring you to use tools like screen readers or high-contrast utilities to navigate the internet, there's a pretty good chance you don't know what a web app looks like to someone who does. Image descriptions, sufficient color contrast, and keyboard-friendly navigation are just the beginning. We've primarily focused on keyboard navigation in the past (feel free to fact-check us here), but there's lots more to learn and do.
I truly can't wait to see what this year will bring. But, admittedly, change isn't always all sunshine and rainbows, and if you're an existing client, I want nothing more than to ensure you continue getting the support you've come to expect from us. If you ever have any feedback or concerns at any point, but especially over the coming months, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly via existing channels, sheng@diglactic.com, or drop anonymous feedback using this link.
Thank you for your continued support! Let's make this year amazing and continue building, better.
