FAQ 5.15 Should abstractions be user-centric or developer-centric?

User-centric.

New object-oriented programmers commonly make the mistake of thinking that inheritance, objects, and so on exist to make it easier to build a class. Although this developer-centric view of OO software provides a short burst of improved productivity; it fails to produce a software development culture that has "sustainable effectiveness." In other words, a flash in the pan, then nothing.

The only way to achieve long-term success with OO is for developers to focus on their users instead of on themselves. Ironically, most developers eventually become users of their own abstractions, so they can help themselves through their efforts to help others.

Abstractions that involve technology, such as "database" or "communications link," are probably developer-centric. The best abstractions use terminology from the language of the user, such as "general ledger account" or "customer."