How I’m Not Measuring Up (or … How High I Try to Aim)

I always hold myself and my work to a high standard. An unreachable standard, often. Unreachable, at least, within the confines of what I have to work with and the constraints I’m under. It’s one of the hardest things I deal with on a daily basis. I live with the knowledge that if I just make this spacing a little tighter or make a few adjustments to that interaction—though almost imperceptible to the user, and a lot of work for me—the overall a project would be remarkably better for it. Yet, often, I don’t do those things because I can’t afford to.

When you need cash flow day in and day out, you have to turn out products and you have to turn them out in a timely manor. And when you’re working for clients, the idea that a few more weeks tinkering under the hood will measurably improve their app or website doesn’t often translate.

Sometimes I feel weary and just give in. Sometimes it’s not worth the fight. Sometimes time simply won’t allow. I always strive in my heart to reach the levels of perfection that enable the apps and websites that I create to make people feel at home. But often I miss the mark. Still, at the heart of every project I work on, the perfect feel is my goal.

Apple has long been my benchmark for UI/UX, the standard I measure against. They don’t always get it right, but they’re consistently closer than most any other company I know.

And while I don’t always achieve it, this video puts to words exactly how I feel about my creations and my life.