Designing and developing a custom tool for a business is one thing. But if the people using it don’t understand it — or worse, fear breaking it — then it fails before it begins.

This is the story of a project I poured hours, patience, and compromise into — only to realize I was the only one doing the work to make it succeed.

Today, I want to share a different story — a story about how a client picked me over several other developers, even though I didn’t pitch the cheapest or flashiest solution.

I simply understood what she really needed.