On a recent project I lobbied for us to rework an affinity model we thought we were finished with. I sent an email requesting this and outlying what I thought were valid points. The reaction I received from the former engineers I lobbied to was not something I anticipated. They teased me about being a perfectionist.

Why was I called a perfectionist? First I need to explain a little about the process of building an affinity model. An affinity model in Contextual Design is a consolidation of data from user interviews. To consolidate the data we print each interview note on a post-it and as a group arrange them on the wall into different relationships. This process has many places were there is more than one right answer on how to group notes. One could easily spend eternity moving post-its around and telling different stories. As you can imagine, for those who lean toward perfectionism, this is purgatory. My colleagues assumed with my request for improvement that I had entered into this slippery slope.

The only thing that keeps us sane when building an affinity diagram is an understanding of the project focus. If we didn’t have a project focus then every single note and every word on it would become equally important leaving no way to tell a coherent story or to edit out things that do not matter. When I lobbied for us to spend a little more time on our affinity it was my intention to make the affinity best tell the user story that mattered and one that better matched our focus.

So what would have happened if we left it alone? Maybe nothing, but maybe our design would have suffered because an important issue for a user was not obvious. We can’t ever know the answer, however in this case I decided I didn’t want to risk it.

I want to believe that my experience has taught me what battles to fight for and what battles are merely my own desire to control the world and make it perfect. I don’t always get this right and my own perfectionist agenda creeps in, but I keep trying anyway.

My engineer minded colleagues didn’t have the same perspective I had and thought the affinity model was fine, but they indulged me anyway and allowed for more time to refine. In the end I think we all believed it was worth the time and we got a better model. I appreciate my colleagues for challenging my motives, because I think there are times when “being thorough” can find its way into perfectionism. I will admit there were multiple times while building the affinity model that I caught myself rearranging the post-it notes on the wall so they lined up nicely in a grid.

It seems to me that there are two sides at play here for designers, if you want things to be “right” you could easily end up seeking perfection if you don’t manage yourself. On the other hand you need to make sure that things that only you as a designer can see don’t fall through the cracks. I don’t claim to know what the “perfect” balance is for avoiding the perfectionist trap, but I think we are all safer if we remember to step back every so often to remind ourselves of what we are trying to accomplish in a project. Stepping back and reminding myself of my project concept was the first thing I recall being taught in art school and years later I now realize it is the most important design skill I have.