[dpcan]

This IS how most non-developers "try" :)

I had an associate who would usually work with me to bring his web-based ideas to life. He decided to see if he could create one of his web-app ideas himself, and after realizing that it meant spending HOURS in front of the screen, piecing together a complicated puzzle of code while switching gears here and there to be a creative designer as well, it became evident that it wasn't a walk in the park.

"Trying" for some people will consist of searching Google for a magic spell that makes your ideas come to life.

Developcus Appeomus!

[Cushman]

I think that's actually a really crucial point— not only do non-technical people not know how to code, but they don't know that they don't know how. People who have no idea how we do what we do assume that it's easy.

Edit: I actually think it's a little sad when you think about it. You know those steps for after "Google it" comes up blank, the ones like "Check if there are two things I can combine to do this" or "Look at the file format, maybe it's just tab-separated or something"? Those steps don't exist for most people.

This must be how mechanics feel about cars, huh.

[rocktronica]

"The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect