I thought the boards that popped up when I opened an e-mail from Pinterest titled “Remembering Boston” were strange upon first glance. I mean cinematography and Dorothy’s red slippers do not make me feel better about the horrible things that have happened this week.
But then I looked closer… and featured fairly prominently is a meme of two runners with “If I ever had to run for my life I would probably die.” ??? Sick joke? Unfortunate pick by a bot? Either way, ugh.
Have you read designer Brandon Kowitz’s new article on Medium: Why you should move that button 3px to the left? It’s about managing the gap between functional and delightful, and it’s full of observations and advice relevant to anyone who works in design or development or both — as we do at BRINK.
Kowitz describes how a designer’s perfectionist instincts might conflict with the rush of production or the aesthetic-indifference of some managers and engineers. Then he offers a few ideas to help us bridge the gap:
- A brief apologia for the designer’s detail-obsession, aiming to convince project managers that they should lend an ear to whining designers — he reminds us that spot-on designs increase trust and usability and therefore increase the value of the site and the $$$.
- A few principles that might help manage the conflicting demands of designers and deadlines:
- Batch up work into sprints
- Polish as you go
- Avoid “customization icebergs”
Have a look at the article for more details!
Here at BRINK we’re always striving to balance perfectionism with speed, obsessive attention to detail with the need to deliver. We share Kowitz’s commitment to quality design and development, to creating intuitive user experiences that inspire trust — and delight.
Heading into the weekend: Some beer branding we can get behind. Ticketybrew has an interesting origin story too, find out more about ‘em.
