Proof of Concept - The ability to build
I launched a zine! Get Proof of Concept: The 000 Series today. Whether you're a creative, entrepreneur, or in product, the ability to take a loose idea and construct it into something tangible will make you stand out from everyone else. It's in our nature as humans to build. Many grew up playing with toys that encouraged constructing, such as LEGOs, which may be the spark that led us into these professions. The difference between creating and building have quite the overlap with a bit of distinction. Let's define that without getting overly semantic. Creating is the process of coming into being. You can create a drawing and also create a mess. Building is the act of constructing and assembling with material. It can get blurry and overlap, for example, one could argue you can create and build a sculpture. It's best to focus on the traits of building. Today I’ll cover the importance of building, the traits and attributes of proficient builders, and the benefits of going beyond creation to construction. Building pushes an idea to existenceThere is nothing more heartbreaking than witnessing someone unable to push their idea forward. In Bret Victor’s talk Inventing on Principle, he shares a thought in the same vein that resognates deeply with me::
Every designer has probably once felt stuck on a project. It’s a wish to have the skills to build it yourself as opposed to relying on someone else. That’s what I did by learning to code and working as a front-end developer and iOS prototyper in my more formitable days as a designer (and boy, do I mean more formitable than today!). Though thoughtful design concept creation is essential and important work, boxes and rectangle in a drawing tool can only take you so far. Turn that image into an object that is sentiant, dynamic, and interactive. Push the limits of where you get stuck and you can control your own destiny. Traits of buildersThere are people who talk about building, then there's people who actually build. For the dozen people tweet about "building something new,” a small percentage are actually building. I had the pleasure of working with some incredible builders in my career and observed a few traits. They’re not dogmatic about tools and methods They understand assembly points They start, and start fast Start smallGreat builder started as not-so-great builders. It takes much investment in practice and learning over many years. It can feel intimidating if you haven’t build anything before—start small. Small wins lead to huge ones through momentum. Starting big may result in discouraging failures. Create an environment to develop momentum and confidence. Start with the Glass Joe of building projects vs. going straight to Mike Tyson. Instead of learning to program off the bat, learn to build a database or writing a loop to develop a portfolio of small builds. You'll soon discover your skills compound in the ability to construct multiple things. Go build somethingI think of Jordan Singer, founder of Diagram, as someone who embodies building ideas. If you follow Singer, do not be intimated by his excellence and work as he is a once-in-a-generation designer. Be inspired by the curiousity and desire to build. Whether it’s an app, team, business, or community, I encourage you to consider building it yourself before feeling stuck. Tweet of the weekCash App Designer Soren Iverson posted a tweet to solicit feedback on a micro-interaction, and the feedback was awesome. More interactions like this on Design Twitter, please. The follow up—the power of feedback! Great feedback in this thread. Some updates:
- Keeping the icons
- Reduced icon visual weight
- Updated cancel icon for clarity
- Increased shadow intensity of popover
- Remove word "order" since all actions refer to an order Hype links
1 This might be my favorite article by Ink & Switch and that’s saying a lot! Incredible research. Enjoy this newsletter? Please consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you haven’t already. I appreciate it! Sincerely, DH |
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Creative consumption
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Issue 120: Binge watching and reading your way to creative breakthroughs
Approaching hard work
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Issue 119: On hustle culture, being hardcore, and where hard work pays off
The importance of community
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Issue 118: Seeking like-mindedness and new perspectives when gathering
The art of subversion
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Issue 117: Breaking paradigms to create new ones
Creating interface studies
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Issue 116: Focused explorations to solve specific problems
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