A Friendly Reminder to Product Designers: Perfect is the Enemy of Good

As a product designer, you likely have a keen eye for detail and a desire to create products that are flawless in every way. However, it's important to recognize that perfection can be the enemy of progress, and that sometimes it's better to push work through rather than striving for perfection.

In this article, we'll explore some tips for product designers to help balance the desire for perfection with the need to make progress and move projects forward.

Approach Projects with Balance and Perspective

When working on a project, it's important to approach it with a sense of balance and perspective. While it's certainly important to create high-quality work, it's also important to recognize that there will always be trade-offs and compromises that need to be made in order to move the project forward.

One way to approach this is to focus on the most important tasks and deliverables first. By prioritizing the work that will have the biggest impact on the project, you can ensure that you're making progress even if some aspects of the work aren't perfect.

Iterate and Improve

Another way to balance perfection with progress is to be willing to iterate and improve on your work. Recognize that your first iteration won't be perfect, but that by iterating and refining your work over time, you can make it better and better.

Filing Bugs Actively

To ensure that your work is on track, it's important to file bugs actively and on a regular basis. This means having a deep understanding of the goals and objectives of the project, as well as the specific challenges and opportunities that are being addressed. By identifying and addressing potential issues or obstacles, you can help keep the project on track.

Be Consistent and Reliable

Consistency and reliability are important qualities for any product designer. To be consistent and reliable, it's important to have a proactive and organized approach to your work. This may involve setting clear goals and priorities, and maintaining regular communication and engagement with the engineering team and other stakeholders.

Focus on the Most Important Projects

It's also important to focus your efforts on projects that are of utmost importance to moving the company forward. While it can be tempting to try to perfect every aspect of every project, this isn't always feasible or realistic. By focusing on the most important projects, you can ensure that you're making the biggest impact with your work.

Perfect is the enemy of good, but that doesn't mean you should settle for subpar work. By balancing the desire for perfection with the need to make progress and move projects forward, you can create high-quality work that helps drive your company's success.

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