✅ Start Simple: Why You Can Safely Make Assumptions When Building Web Applications

We don’t build web applications in a vacuum—we build them in the real world, for real people. And that means our systems inevitably reflect something we already understand.

Still, I often see teams bogged down in weeks of planning, trying to define every API, every edge case, and every interaction before they feel safe starting. They treat every unknown like a risk and every missing detail like a trap.

But here’s the truth: you can make assumptions. In fact, you should. That’s how real progress begins.

🗣 Everything Is Just Communication

At every level, web applications are conversations.

• A button is a request.
• A response is feedback.
• A system is a listener.
• A log is memory.

Whether it’s your UI, your database, your API, or your architecture—everything is sending, receiving, or interpreting messages. Once you see that, complexity drops away. You’re not “building features.” You’re enabling dialog.

🧱 All Data Are Things or Events

All persistent data falls into one of two buckets:

• Things 🧍‍♂️: Users, products, tasks. Mutable.
• Events 🕒: Logins, purchases, comments. Immutable.

If it’s a thing, your interface is a catalog—searchable, editable, filterable.
If it’s an event, your interface is a timeline—chronological, read-only, and often explanatory.

That’s it. One of the most helpful framing devices you’ll ever use.

🪞 Systems Mirror Real Life

We don’t invent alien worlds—we replicate familiar ones. Every system is just a reflection of how we already live and work.

• Permissions mirror trust and roles.
• Interfaces mirror physical objects: carts, folders, dashboards.
• Flows mirror routines: check-ins, reviews, handoffs.

This is why it’s safe to assume. Because you already know how it should work—your brain has lived the analog version.

🚀 Where to Start Instead

Skip the bloated spec. Instead, do this:

1. Figure out the most enjoyable and empowering user experience.
   What would make someone feel in control, successful, or even delighted?
2. Figure out what they’re working with: things, events, or both.
   Match the model to the interaction: catalog or timeline.
3. Find the least complex path to deliver the most value.
   Don’t build the final version. Build the version that gets someone their first win.

🛑 You Don’t Need to Know Everything

If you’re blocked by an external system, define the requirement and move forward.

“We can use this approach if the API returns X. If not, we’ll pivot.”

No need to deep-dive every dependency before you start. Treat unclear details as conditional contracts, not reasons to stall.

❓ Nothing’s Truly Unknown

This isn’t quantum theory. There’s no spooky action at a distance. “Unknowns” are usually just unconfirmed agreements or missing decisions.

And most of the time, you don’t need those answers to get started. You just need a strong, flexible foundation—and the confidence that communication will sort out the rest.

💡 Final Thought

The best engineers I’ve worked with don’t wait for perfect clarity. They start with strong mental models, ask smart questions, and let reality shape the rest.

It’s all just:

• Talking and listening 🧏‍♀️
• Things and events 🧍‍♂️🕒
• Catalogs and timelines 📚🗓
• Mirrors of life 🔁

Start simple. You already know the system. You're just building the interface.