Ask HN: Do all designers want perfection from the start? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do all designers want perfection from the start?

1 pointrkjbnz1 comment

Hi, Im am working with a UI designer and a UX designer on our latest project and finding that both want our app to be completely perfect before we start showing anyone. I have read a lot about the lean startup methods and getting a product out there to learn and receive feedback, which will help guide the polish process but both designers believe first impressions matter and regardless of how many people see it, it has to be perfect. My idea is to show people early to validate the idea and see what people think, but I also understand design influences. Showing a product that might functionally work but has a crappy UI and confusing flow might not be good but creating a slick UI can take a lot of time.<p>I'm interested to hear others thoughts on this. I understand both points of view and wonder if anyone here has strictly followed lean startup methods and has any negative first impressions from an unpolished product?

As a researcher/strategist with a design background, I think it's reasonable to expect to check in with users 2-3 times before a design is finalized - and hopefully you started from a relatively deep knowledge of the current experience & opportunity before you ever started the project! The key is to know what you are trying to learn from each research cycle. Do you want to know if the idea seems reasonable? Sketch level ideas & storyboard scenarios are the best stimulus. If you want to understand UI flow, you should expect to have at least 70% of all potential outcomes wireframed, but they can look like crap. If you want to understand which of several design directions to take aesthetically, you need more slick-looking screens, but only 1 or 2 navigation paths for each (since the goal is gauging aesthetics rather than functionality). If you want to know if you are ready to launch, you should have the whole thing as finished as possible. And in general, more cycles with fewer people (think 5 core users, 5 extreme users & 5 potential future users) beats fewer cycles with lots of participants.

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