> A rhetorical substitution of developer value for user value [...] > The “developer experience” bait-and-switch works by appealing to the listener’s parochial interests as developers or managers, claiming supremacy in one category in order to remove others from the conversation [...] The unstated agreement is that developers share all of the same goals with the same intensity as end users and even managers. This is not true. > Shifting the conversation away from actual user experiences to team-level advantages enables a culture in which the folks who receive focus and attention are developers, rather than end-users or the business. It naturally follows that teams can then substitute tools for goals.
Our community is absolutely infested with this attitude right now.
Tell me: When was the last time someone provided battery life impact numbers for React Native? If you use it, was that even part of your evaluation criteria?
The OP is absolutely right: there is massive conflation of _developer convenience_ with _user experience_. The modern frontend web dev scene is merely one of the symptoms. The fundamental assumption that "good for developers" must by definition equal "good for users" is a) usually unstated and b) absolutely unquestioned. I agree with the OP that it is also often c) wrong.
In some cases necessity has caused some developers to internalize and stockholm-syndrome themselves into believing some cross-platform monstrosity or PWA-in-a-mobile-app is better or just as good as a native mobile app. Not because it is, but because they have no choice given their current budget and staffing constraints.
A successful startup requires clear level-headed thinking. Do not mistake expedient or necessary decisions for optimal ones and be willing to re-evaluate your strategy at any time. Above all don't talk yourself into believing user experience doesn't matter.