đ§ The Law of the Instrument: Letâs use WordPress for X & Everything and the Side Effects
Intro
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital solutions, itâs often said that if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. This concept is beautifully encapsulated by the âLaw of the Instrument,â which reminds me that the familiarity with a particular tool or platform can shape the way we approach challenges. In this context, the trusty tool is WordPress, a versatile and widely-used platform known for its prowess in website development. But can WordPress truly be the versatile solution we need for a variety of purposes, from blogging to e-commerce, and even beyond?
Personal Experience
In 2011â2012, I noticed a growing trend in digital agencies: the widespread use of WordPress. It was favored for its easy-to-use content management system, especially for building microsites or short-term campaign websites. At the time, I was a developer at one such agency. With tight deadlines, we often had to decide whether to create a custom CMS from scratch or use WordPress for its efficiency. We usually chose the latter, customizing it with pre-made themes to suit our needs. This approach not only saved time but also showcased WordPressâs adaptability for various digital projects.
Following this initial experience, we began to recognize the expansive capabilities of WordPress beyond its conventional usage. It wasnât long before we started utilizing it for a wide range of applications, including eCommerce platforms, form builders, property and job listing websites, and even ventured into harnessing its API to construct mobile applications.
Furthermore, I witnessed fellow WordPress developers employing it for constructing data pipelines aimed at synchronizing production sales data.
đ Does this sound quite familiar? (Itâs akin to the law of the instrument.)
The Nightmare
As we loaded WordPress with a staggering 30 to 50 plugins and incorporated numerous miniature functions within the functions.php file, which eventually ballooned to a daunting 1000 to 3000 lines within a single file, we encountered a host of issues. The most glaring problem was the significant drop in performance, resulting in sluggish loading times even for a relatively small number of visitors. Furthermore, our attempts at backup and recovery became an exercise in frustration as they repeatedly failed, leaving us in a precarious position regarding data security and disaster recovery.
The clientâs constant grievances and the persistent approaches from other vendors, touting new and cleaner WordPress solutions, created a challenging situation. The idea of migrating to a different platform was considered, but it came with a significant drawback â a steep learning curve. Given that the business was in full operation, the prospect of investing heavily in learning the ropes of a new system was far from ideal.
My Bias
At times, agencies tend to thrive on problems, showcasing their value in resolving issues that ideally shouldnât have arisen in the first place. This phenomenon can be likened to the situation where Microsoft Windows initially had security vulnerabilities and loopholes, leading to the emergence of a multi-million-dollar antivirus industry that capitalized on these weaknesses.
My Approach
Iâve gained valuable insights from my past mistakes, rather than embarking on a complete overhaul of our WordPress setup, we decided to take a different approach. We began to explore the concept of domain-driven design and architecture, focusing initially on non-critical business domains. This involved a deep dive into the specific domain, studying its intricacies and nuances. Our goal was to craft an optimal solution architecture that was tailored to the unique requirements of that domain, rather than attempting to shoehorn WordPress into every problem we encountered. This shift in strategy allowed us to find more efficient and effective solutions for specific challenges.
In a simple form: Try not to use WordPress for X & Everything đ
Summary
The journey is ongoing, marked by continuous learning. Even in 2023, WordPress remains a preferred choice for many freelancers and agencies due to its rapid time-to-market capabilities. Freelancers can quickly deliver projects and move on to the next, ensuring a steady flow of income.
