LEGO-Software Analogy

What if we used LEGO to build software?

This is not an ordinary post. Text will be minimum, I’ll just share a set of images.

The basics

Our codebase. Where everything is built on!

A building block. A coding part with specific functionality.

Basic structures

A feature built on the codebase, with some backend building blocks and a user interface at the top to provide an experience to the person interacting with the feature.

A set of features put close together to form something bigger, a product.

A backend heavy feature with a crappy user interface. Lots of building blocks are forming an ultra-robust base that is poorly served to the person using the feature.

A feature with an awesome user experience that is poorly supported from backend building blocks, could fall anytime!

Product structures

A basic product, where each feature is not interacting well with the rest features. Also, each feature is pointing in its own direction.

A product with a clear product vision, each feature is pointing in the same direction.

An awesome product with a clear vision and a great user experience. Features are aligned and transitioning from one feature to the next is smooth.

Extra?

Diving deeper, I found another good analogy. Please share your own!

Adding npm packages as building blocks of a feature. Many smaller parts with their own dependencies, the LEGO blocks above are not that stable.