Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Sebastian Martin Photo by Laura Kranz on Unsplash

Their is no direct connection between result and time spent working

Sometimes, I tend to get bogged down in details, focusing on the functionality of a part of the system, instead of looking at the big picture. For a long time, I had the idea that something that is popular, made by professionals, sold for a high price etc., that those things must have been complicated to make.

I thought that if a professional is earning money for their creation or if a song is being played on the radio, it must have involved a long, complicated process of creation.

It might sound a bit like the imposter syndrome: the assumption that everyone else is doing way more to get their job done or to get results.

As it turns out, this is not the case. Some of the most popular songs are dead simple — take for example the eurodance hit “Alors on dance” by Stromae or the story behind “Smells like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

Not only are they simple, their respective artists didn’t work on them for years and years. Done was better than perfect.

I had to learn to apply this to my own work: creating cool results can be really simple, done in a few hours and absolutely satisfy every single of the customers needs. Plus, you don’t need to do everything yourself. For many things, there are templates, resources, models and tutorials available for free. Remixing them can save hours of work.

This is one way of working: done is better than perfect.

It mostly applies in environments where time counts.

It’s also true when you know that your energy is limited. I was working on a 3D rendering last year. I decided to call it “done” as soon as all the basic blocks were working (in the image).

There were hours and hours more work until I knew it would be perfect for my demands. Yet I stopped and submitted the image. Done was better than perfect.

Of course, there is another way to do this. Master craftsmen who have the time and knowledge to focus on every detail can create impressive works of art that are unique and valuable. There is a fascinating documentary about the making of a John Mayer album cover by an artist who works on glass. It’s well worth the 17 minutes. Here is an artist who not only has the highest abilities, but who also focuses on every single detail and the result is nothing short of impressive.

I guess my point is this: you have to find out (and decide) when every detail matters. At times, it might not and done is better than perfect. Other times, working out the details is necessary to create a masterpiece.

Thanks for reading.

Done is better than perfect was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Done is better than perfect

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