Title: Beware of chasing the dangling carrot in front of your nose | by Tom Kupka | Designing Kiwi.com
Headings: Beware of chasing the dangling carrot in front of your nose
Beware of chasing the dangling carrot in front of your nose
Are you a designer — perfectionist? Read my lessons learned on chasing “the perfect” in the product design and how to avoid falling into the traps of perfectionism.
Relax, design keeps evolving on the go
Can’t see the forest for the trees?
There are forms of perfectionism defined by fear
The Take Away

Content: Firstly, there is a positive aspect, that helps us to see a problem and the frustration can provide a driving energy which moves us forward to make things better. It is a great skill and I would even say an inner quality of designer’s eye. On the other hand, there is also a negative aspect as the other side of the coin, which is good to be aware of. This aspect is usually an unhealthy mindset that can be contra-productive. It is known that an individual, who gets obsessed with the quality of its work, is usually having a fear of critique or judgment. The thing is, perfectionism tends to be rooted in fear rather than opportunity. — Julie Zhuo
As Julie Zhuo well pointed out in her article Battling Perfectionism, I do agree that the certain type of perfectionism often lives in us as a hidden fear — a fear of failure, that what we present to the world could be judged. I believe that this brings also a wrong misinterpretation, that we could be judged too — well, to the extent how much we take things personally. To put it back in the context of the design, the chance of falling in the trap of those negative aspects depends on each individual to be able to accept mistakes and failures in order to learn from them. Design Critiques: