Design is not just about big ideas, it's about finishing projects

"I'm not very good at the detailed design phase, I'm good at Web development services, but when we get to the point where we have to repeat the smaller product updates, I'm not fine."

Well, then you're not good at doing your job.

Design is about making an idea possible, it is not about having an idea. Actually, your idea is the cheapest thing you have.

"Ideas are not worth much by themselves, even the brightest idea is just a starting point, not something magical." A significantly engaged but executed design is infinitely more valuable than an abstract notion in mental isolation. (Thought Merchants)

The other day I was reading a great article by A List Apart about the illusion of control in web design. The article talks about how we, as designers, try to analyze every detail of an interaction, from perfect pixel designs to beautiful animations, to every small fraction of a second of the user's experience, but the reality is that we control the way what we think.

"The high fidelity of today's design tools creates the illusion that our models are feasible in the real world."

The high fidelity of today's design tools creates the illusion that our models are feasible in the real world. Designing a static plate or even a prototype Principle is relatively easy. You are usually illustrating an ideal flow. You are not accommodating for multiple scenarios. You are not worried about performance. It is not designed for advanced cases, for less tech-savvy users, for older devices.

"The moment in which a design begins to be built is the line that separates well from the great designers".

Good designers can contribute ideas, but they cannot handle the JIRA tickets per hour that come from the developers, asking for solutions for the scenarios in which the designer did not even think in the first place. Great designers thrive in those situations, creating a collaborative environment where developers feel they own the solution as much as they are the problem.

Good designers will then find quick solutions for those secondary use cases and will throw the ball over the fence to the developers. The great designers will take each request as an opportunity to re-evaluate, improve and bullet-proof the design system in general.

Good designers will finish the project and say that it is a nuisance that the implementation looks so different from what was designed. The great designers understand that it is not about "looking like models"; it is about looking and feeling simple, useful, gentle and relevant.

When I hear people say that they are not strong when it comes to executing, iterating, adapting and making it work, I wonder how strong the designers are.

That does not mean that arranging is easier than executing. No way. Two different tasks; two different parts of the brain. But if you can only provide high level concepts, then you are not providing a real user experience. You are delivering a drip shot, a portfolio model and a work of art.