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How to layout text content for tool technology considerations with the Jobs To Be Done push pull inertia anxiety factors

Prompt

you are a software dev, writing a blog and you want a format to describe change. The pull / push diagram comes to mind, but in a tabular format. Eg. for tool usage say editors there might be several good options on mac: Ghostty, Kitty, WezTerm. And what I want to convey at a high level what I may try in future, but haven’t yet.

I understand you’re looking for a tabular format to describe changes or potential future changes in your software development blog, similar to a pull/push diagram but in table form. This is a great way to organize and communicate your thoughts about tools and technologies you’re considering.

Let me create a format that would work well for this purpose, particularly for comparing development tools like terminal emulators (Ghostty, Kitty, WezTerm).

Here’s a suggested tabular format for your blog:

| Status          | Tool/Technology | What Pulls Me Toward It                    | What Pushes Me Away                       | When I Might Try It           |
| --------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Currently Using | Neovim          | Efficiency, customizability, modal editing | Learning curve for new plugins            | N/A (already using)           |
| Considering     | Ghostty         | GPU-accelerated, innovative features       | Relatively new, less community support    | Q3 2025                       |
| Watching        | Kitty           | Speed, lightweight, good documentation     | Configuration complexity                  | When next major release drops |
| Researching     | WezTerm         | Cross-platform, Lua config (familiar)      | Some reported performance issues on macOS | If Ghostty doesn't meet needs |

This format gives you several advantages:

  1. Clear status categories (Currently Using, Considering, Watching, Researching)
  2. The pull/push factors that influence your decision
  3. A timeline or condition for when you might try something new
  4. Easy to scan and understand for readers

You could also expand this with additional columns depending on your needs:

  • “Key Features I’m Interested In”
  • “Community Sentiment”
  • “Integration with Current Stack”
  • “Learning Investment Required”

This approach would work well for various categories beyond just terminal emulators - editors, frameworks, languages, deployment tools, etc. It effectively communicates your current stance while acknowledging future possibilities in a structured way.

Would you like me to adapt this format further or provide another example for a different category of tools? Your balance of detail and simplicity is definitely on the right track. The emoji-based approach provides quick visual cues while maintaining the necessary context for each technology decision.

Follow up prompt

thoughtworks radar is another method, but not tabular. The change headings are Push, Pull, Inertia and Anxiety.

The ThoughtWorks Technology Radar is indeed another excellent approach for categorizing and communicating technological changes. You’re right that it’s not tabular but uses a radar visualization with rings and quadrants.

I like your idea of incorporating their change headings (Push, Pull, Inertia, and Anxiety) into a tabular format. This could give you the best of both approaches - the structured organization of a table with the nuanced categorization from ThoughtWorks.

Here’s a modified tabular format using these change headings:

| Technology | Current Status | Pull Factors                          | Push Factors             | Inertia Factors                   | Anxiety Factors                     | Intended Action            |
| ---------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Ghostty    | Researching    | GPU acceleration, innovative features | None yet                 | Comfortable with current setup    | New project with limited history    | Try in Q3 2025             |
| Kitty      | Evaluated      | Speed, good documentation             | Configuration complexity | Already invested in current tools | None significant                    | Keep watching              |
| WezTerm    | Considering    | Cross-platform, Lua config            | Performance on macOS     | Time investment to switch         | Uncertainty about long-term support | Try if Ghostty disappoints |

The columns help articulate:

  • Pull Factors: What’s drawing you toward this technology
  • Push Factors: What’s actively driving you away from your current solution toward this
  • Inertia Factors: What’s keeping you with your current solution
  • Anxiety Factors: Concerns or uncertainties about adopting the new technology
  • Intended Action: Your planned next steps

This format provides more nuance than a simple pros/cons approach and acknowledges the complex forces that influence technology decisions. It could be particularly useful for your blog readers who are making similar evaluations in their own work.

You could also consider color-coding or using icons to indicate the strength of each factor, making the table even more scannable and informative.

Would this approach work better for your needs?

Follow Up Prompt

yes, i think using a rating of sorts with a different emoji for each type of factor might help at a glance. or maybe just simplify to Stay / Move

Let me create a final version of this format that you could use in your blog:

# Technology Radar: Terminal Emulators (May 2025)


| Technology | Status      | Direction | Factors                                            |
| ---------- | ----------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Ghostty    | Researching | Move 🔜   | ✨ GPU acceleration, innovative features           |
|            |             |           | 🧱 Comfortable with current terminal               |
|            |             |           | ⚠️ Relatively new project                          |
| Kitty      | Evaluated   | Stay 🔄   | ✨ Speed, excellent documentation                  |
|            |             |           | ❌ Complex configuration                           |
|            |             |           | 🧱 Would need to port existing setup               |
| WezTerm    | Considering | Wait ⏳   | ✨ Cross-platform, Lua config (aligns with Neovim) |
|            |             |           | ❌ Some performance concerns on macOS              |
|            |             |           | ⚠️ Uncertain about long-term maintenance           |

Legend:

  • ✨ Pull Factor: What attracts me to this technology
  • ❌ Push Factor: What repels me from this option
  • 🧱 Inertia Factor: What keeps me with my current solution
  • ⚠️ Anxiety Factor: Concerns I have about adoption
  • 🔜 Planning to Move: Likely to adopt soon
  • 🔄 Staying Put: Keeping current solution for now
  • ⏳ Waiting: Monitoring for developments

This format:

  1. Keeps everything scannable at a glance
  2. Provides just enough detail for informed context
  3. Creates a clear visual language through emojis
  4. Explicitly states your intended direction

This approach would work well across different technology categories in your blog and could become a recognizable format that readers associate with your evaluations. It effectively communicates both the objective factors and your subjective leanings, which is valuable for readers who are making their own assessments.