The Cannon Analogy

One of my favorite ways to explain the value of UX comes from David Juhlin, who wrote about it in Explaining UX to Developers. The story goes like this:

A stakeholder says, “We need a cannon to defend our coastline.” Developers hear the request, head to work, and build a beautiful cannon—solid, functional, and exactly as asked for.

The problem? By the time it’s finished, the ship they needed to stop has already sailed away, or the threat wasn’t a ship at all but something else entirely. Maybe a ship would have been more effective. Maybe there was an easier way to sink that ship. The cannon works, but it doesn’t solve the true goal: protecting the coastline.

The lesson isn’t that cannons are bad. It’s that focusing on the literal request without questioning the real objective can lead to the wrong solution.

Why This Happens

In product design, stakeholders often leap to solutions instead of defining the actual problem. Developers, focused on precision and execution, take these requests at face value. UX gets pulled in late, usually tasked with smoothing the rough edges of whatever’s already been built.

By then, the strategy is set in stone. Even if the product is polished, it may not address the real user need—or worse, the opportunity has shifted while teams were busy building.

The Cost of Isolation

When creative teams and development teams are siloed, both sides lose. Developers assume the stakeholders know the target. Creatives assume they’ll be looped in later. The result is often a “perfect cannon” that doesn’t solve the coastline problem.

And it’s expensive. Reworking a product after launch to match real needs wastes resources, time, and user trust.

A Real-World Example

Remember Google Wave? Back in 2009, it was launched as an ambitious communication tool—part email, part chat, part collaboration platform. The idea was bold, but the execution aimed at the wrong target. It solved for complexity rather than clarity. Users didn’t want an everything-app—they wanted tools that did specific jobs well.

Wave wasn’t a “bad cannon.” It was technically impressive, packed with features, and exactly what the team set out to build. But it didn’t hit the real need, so the ship sailed. Within a year, Google shut it down.

Building Together

The real win happens when UX, development, and business stakeholders work together from the start. UX reframes the request: What’s the actual problem? What’s the most effective target? Developers bring technical expertise to ensure the solution is feasible, scalable, and adaptable.

When teams collaborate, they don’t just build a cannon—they build the right tool for the situation, whether that’s a ship, a net, or something entirely different.

Beyond Cannons and Ships

The cannon analogy is a reminder: great products come from aligning on the goal, not the request. UX isn’t a finishing touch; it’s the compass that helps teams aim at the right target before building begins.

Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about how well you built the cannon. It’s about whether the coastline is safe.