Software Product Design; Beware of a Potemkin Village

For some software projects, the developers create this wonderful prototype or fancy design, but the code behind is is buggy, lacks validation funtionality, or just simply doesn't work. Some go so far as to do this intentionally during software reviews.

While look and feel is important, what we really need to do is focus on substance and make sure the stuff actually works. Otherwise, we end up with a "Potemkin Village." For those unfamiliar with the term, it means to create a facade with nothing behind it. It's roots go back to Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, who created an elaborate village to impress Catherine the great during her tours of Ukraine. The catch was that the village was just a facade (Blazing Saddles anyone?).

Here's the official definition on Barleby.com...


Potemkin village. The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.