Use the arrow keys to navigate between menu items.

We're all terrible at something

2 minutes read

I'm terrible at this.

This is what the dev said to me right after pushing code that they knew would break the end-to-end test suite we had.

With no labels on the buttons, there was no way for the automation to find and click it. Simple fix, right?

The problem is when "I'm terrible at this" turns into "You do it because I'm never going to get better."

Here are some things I don't think it's possible to get better at:

  • perfect pitch
  • growing taller
  • photographically remembering everything you see or read

Some of these things you either have or you don't. I can't sing a note if it saved my life, and I doubt I'll get better at it by screaming every day.

Now, here are some things you can get better at:

  • clear communication
  • designing and recognising good design
  • coding
  • accessibility

To get better at accessibility, you could read a book, take an accessibility course, find online resources, ask an expert, organise study sessions, find a meetup. If you’re serious about getting better, you’ll get better.

You'll feel terrible at it at first. That's okay.

Push through that and little by little the feelings of incompetence will go away.

We're all terrible at something. Some of us push through and get better.

Did you enjoy this bite-sized message?

I send out short emails like this every day to help you gain a fresh perspective on accessibility and understand it without the jargon, so you can build more robust products that everyone can use, including people with disabilities.

You can unsubscribe in one click and I will never share your email address.