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Bridging Tech and People

  • Writer: Simrandeep Kaur
    Simrandeep Kaur
  • Aug 17
  • 3 min read

Updated: Sep 14



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In my decade around tech, I’ve learned one thing: explaining it is often harder than building it.


Imagine carrying five different keys - house, car, office, storage locker… and one mystery key you swear used to open something important. Now imagine a single key that unlocks them all.


That’s how I explain Single Sign-On (SSO).


It’s also my favourite way to explain tech in general - through everyday analogies that make the complex suddenly make sense.



❓ The Question That Keeps Coming Up


In a recent interview, someone leaned in and asked:

"How do you explain technical things to people who aren’t technical?"


It’s a question I’ve heard more times than I can count - and one that made me realise my quiet superpower is translating technology into something deeply human.



🛠  From Builder to Bridge


I’ve spent my career moving between the worlds of technology and people - from writing code and launching products to leading implementations and working face-to-face with clients. Every role gave me a new perspective - not just on how tech functions, but on how people connect with it.


And what I’ve learned is that: clarity doesn’t come from technical diagrams or buzzwords - it comes from telling the kind of story that sticks.



🔓  The Analogy That Made It Click


In a previous Product Manager role, I helped roll out Single Sign-On for our web and app experiences. Technically, it made perfect sense - but the first question I kept hearing was:


“Wait... what exactly is SSO again?”


Instead of offering a textbook definition, I’d say:

“Imagine a master key - one that unlocks your home, your car, your office, your gym - all the places you need to get into.That’s SSO: one secure login that opens everything you need.”


That simple analogy did what documentation and demos couldn’t: it helped people understand the why, not just the what.



🧠  A Few More That Stick


Once you start telling stories with tech, you realise just how metaphor-friendly it really is:


  • APIs are like waiters - taking your order and bring back exactly what you asked for.

  • Firewalls are bouncers - checking the guest list and keeping out trouble.

  • MVPs are cupcakes - the first small, satisfying version of what could one day be a full wedding cake.


Because once someone can picture it, they can believe it.



💡  Why It Matters


The biggest blocker in tech usually isn’t complexity - it’s language.


Change how something is explained, and you change how people connect to it.


Whether I’m leading an implementation, aligning stakeholders, or rolling out a new feature, I focus on making sure the story behind the solution is just as clear as the solution itself - because when people understand what’s being built (and why), they don’t resist it.


They champion it!

 


🚀 The Real Superpower


In tech, it’s easy to get swept up in tools, timelines, and technical edge cases. But over the years, I’ve realized something that changed the way I work: the ability to explain something well is just as important as the ability to build it well.


Clarity isn’t soft, fluffy, or optional - it’s a multiplier. It turns ideas into action, hesitation into buy-in, confusion into confidence. And most of the time, it isn’t the loudest voice or the flashiest slide deck that creates real progress - it’s the person who can help someone see what they couldn’t see before.


That’s not just communication.That’s impact.




 
 
 

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