Permission to Fail

We always need a fresh pair of eyes. When the designer or dev team "misses something," it's not a failure. We are humans, not machines. Even the most experienced designer will miss something when head-down trying to solve a complex problem.

Design Fails?

What is a failure as a designer? Missing a margin? An odd font size? An imperfect user experience?

Let's think bigger, riskier!

How about Apple Newton (1993–1998? That was a big one! Apple marketed the Newton as this amazing personal assistant with handwriting recognition. But, early versions had huge issues with accuracy, leading to widespread mockery. That said, tue Newton’s failure paved the way for the later success of the iPhone and iPad. Great ideas sometimes need multiple iterations. If Newton had succeeded too early, Apple may never have perfected the user experience seen in later devices.

I have a theory about being a designer. While concrete rules govern good design (e.g., using a grid, understanding color theory, creating movement and flow, and using established typographic systems), what makes a design great is subjective. People have different opinions about which designers are great and which are not.

An example from the fine art world: I'm not a big fan of Jackson Pollack's work, but many consider him one of the greatest artists ever. While I acknowledge his contribution to art, his work doesn't move me personally.

The subjective nature of what makes a design great can make it hard to feel confident and not be affected by imposter syndrome. It can cause us to overly focus on perceived "failures" of missing details, as those minor details are easier to measure and agree upon. It can give us that sinking feeling when a missed detail is pointed out.

Re-writing the narrative: let small things be small

I encourage all to be the gatekeepers of our internal dialogue about perceived "misses." This freedom comes with the knowledge that while the details are essential and we should always strive to elevate our users' experience to the smallest detail, those minor details are not the inherent value that we, as individuals, bring to the table.

That is not the greatness. In my humble opinion, greatness is what we create together that we could not have done on our own. The greatness is releasing the non-constructive internal perfectionism of the "I" for the collaborative perfectionism of the "We."

Reframing leadership

Nothing is more powerful and satisfying than being on an engaged team—a team where the members lift each other up, experimentation is celebrated, and setbacks are seen as stepping stones to learning and success.

"Fail big" (as the gentleman said). When failure is normalized as a part of problem-solving, it allows teams to push the envelope and "Fail well." which is to say, any failure where we learn something new about our audience, ourselves, our craft, and the world around us is time well spent, and ultimately will result in long term growth, resilience, and stronger collaboration.

As leaders, we can foster a resilient, innovative, and empowered culture by focusing on the big picture, seeing the team as a whole organism, and recognizing the daily (but less sparkly) successes.

Fail big, fail well, and ride the wave, friends!