In a recent posting, @105rn notes how strange it seems to see tutorial videos from 8 years ago with the same interface as modern Gramps.
But I think that (besides the inertia or recalcitrance that infect all projects); programmers, data analysts, and interface designers are often incompatible personalities. But in open source, volunteers often have to straddle roles. And some traditional commercial development roles are resisted. That means that certain tasks are given short shrift.
| Role | Core Focus | Typical Personality Traits | Mindset / Approach | Compatibility Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect | System design, big-picture planning | Strategic thinker, visionary, disciplined | Long-term, holistic, abstract thinking | Prefers high-level design; can clash with detail-obsessed coders. |
| Coder | Writing code, implementing features | Detail-oriented, methodical, patient | Task-focused, iterative problem-solving | Can find architects’ abstract ideas impractical at times. |
| UI/UX Designer | User experience and visual design | Creative, empathetic, artistic | User-centered, intuitive, focused on emotions | Different thinking and communication style from coders and architects. |
| Word Smith / Content Editor | Refining language, grammar, and interface text | Detail-oriented, precise, communicative | Clarifies messaging and user communication | Bridges creative and technical teams; may clash with spontaneous creatives. |
| Debugger / QA Engineer | Finding and fixing defects; ensuring quality | Analytical, skeptical, patient | Investigative, detail-focused, persistent | Needs deep system knowledge; often clashes with fast-paced coders. |
| Optimizer | Improving performance and efficiency | Analytical, perfectionist, systems thinker | Efficiency-driven, detail-focused | Can conflict with “good enough” coder mentality. |
| Sales / Marketer | Promoting product, understanding customer needs | Persuasive, outgoing, strategic | Market-driven, customer-focused | Often at odds with engineers over feasibility and timing. |
| Project Manager / Scrum Master | Organizing tasks, managing timelines, facilitating communication | Organized, diplomatic, process-driven | Balances competing demands, people-centric | May be seen as bureaucratic by fast-moving creatives/coders. |