Software Development Is the Scientific Method

Do you remember 6th grade science class? You’re starting to learn about DNA, photosynthesis, fossils, and most importantly, you’re being taught about the scientific method.

If you’re anything like me, you learned it, and as time went on without using it directly, you allowed it to get lost in the back corner of your mind behind the old Yu-gi-oh episodes, and where you left your wallet in 2006.

It was a nice wallet, don’t at me.

So what the heck does software development have to do with the scientific method? Well, a lot, it turns out.

Software development as an industry has a rocky history with science overall. There are some schools of thought that like to claim software development isn’t a science, but a liberal art, because it’s largely a creative endeavor. Others like the prestige of calling computer science a hard science, and like to claim it as their own.

I don’t really fall into either of these camps.

But I do enjoy one thing.

Software Design follows the Scientific Method, even if it might not be a science

I am here today to climb upon the hill that software development — most specifically website development where I work — whether they are true science or not, at least follow the scientific method so much as it was taught to us in 6th grade.