More is not always better

People like the idea of having options but when faced with too many they shut down. It’s almost always better to present people with fewer, higher quality, options than to overload them.

Remember the last time you tried to make a selection from an ten page Chinese restaurant menu? You probably chose something from memory. Back when Blockbuster was in business I had to decide what movie to rent before I arrived because, if I didn't, I'd just wander the aisles in a state of information overload.

Whether you’re sending a client mockups or designing an interface keep the options focused and few. Of course there are exceptions. A power Photoshop user want an array of tools at their fingertips, a pilot wants all their instruments in view. But if you’re designing for the mainstream and want to facilitate decision-making present fewer options that represent your recommendations.

Seeing is believing

Artists are in a unique position to develop consensus and prove, or disprove, ideas. Why? Because a picture is worth a 1,000 words. 

Put a group of people in a room to discuss a visual solution to something and I guarantee they will all leave the room with different pictures in the heads. Here's the example I use in my classes and workshops; ask 10 people in a room to imagine a blue ball. Seems simple enough. They should all visualize a similar image, right? Nope. Here's what happens when you ask them to describe the image. The type of ball, the size of ball, and the background image will all be different. Some balls on are the ground and some are floating in space. Sometimes people are in the scene.

The point is that even a simple visualization will produce very different results unless you describe all the details or, better yet, just show an image of ball you want them to visualize. Have that same group reacting to something visual and the conversation will be more focused, shorter and the picture in everyone's heads will be more similar.

If visuals haven’t been prepped in advance, use a whiteboard or a scrap of paper. It doesn’t need to be a work of art, it just needs to communicate an idea. When I'm in a meeting and the conversation is going in a circles with everyone is championing their own idea I'll sometimes suggest a meeting be rescheduled so I’ll have time to make some visuals that can refocus the discussion.

Use images to get gut checks on an idea in it’s early stage and use them to help set agendas for conversations.

People won't read your documents

Have you ever sent an email packed with details and been frustrated because someone didn’t digest and retain all the information? Or maybe you drafted a comprehensive design doc that no one read. There are countless scenarios where we expect colleagues to dig into our documents like they’re the next Brandon Sanderson volume. It’s disappointing when we realize our efforts aren’t appreciated but here's thing...people don’t read, they skim. Don’t blame them. Chances are you do the same thing.

Writing consumable and clear documentation requires strong editing skills. Prepare to spend as much time paring down your text as you did writing the first draft. And be prepared to talk through your ideas.

Keep documents short

Time is valuable. Show your colleagues you value their time by keeping emails and documentation clear and brief. Want to show off your writing skills, your knack for narrative and snappy dialog? Awesome, start a blog featuring your short fiction or become a contributor to Medium. You can still have some flavor in you work documentation but keep it tight. Clarity is great. So is brevity. 

Format your documents

Some things, like technical documents, just need to be long. Regardless of size, think about formatting. There's nothing worse than reading an enormous block of text and wondering where is the nugget that's relevant to your job. Yes, maybe this means catering to people's decreasing attention spans and isn't that a horrible side effect of all this technology. Oh, dread. Roll with it.

Use headers, highlighted text, space between paragraphs, narrow widths and bulleted lists to help your reader.

Email sucks for conversation

Email sucks for brainstorming and the exchange of abstract ideas. If you want your emails to be read, keep them short. If you want creative exchange, talk to your collaborators, take notes and send a compact summary of decisions resulting from the conversation.

Fake a commute

This advice came from Mark Smith, a friend and talented computer engineer who has been successfully self-employed for as long as I’ve know him. It’s the greatest advice anyone has ever given me regarding working from home. Over the years, and as I developed the discipline to work without (too much), distraction my routine has changed but I still have a routine.

How I started

Initially my fake commute routine looked like this: Wake up, shower, stretch, get dressed and leave the house. No email or TV and no lounging in underwear all day. When you’re moving, your blood is flowing and that gets oxygen to your brain and the ol' endorphins flow. Ever wonder why you get great ideas while you’re walking? Bingo.

My fake commute had three parts. 1) Walk to a cafe while thinking about, and prioritizing, projects. 2) Drink coffee and identify questions and areas of interest for the day’s project. 3) Walk home, start making connections between ideas and visualizing solutions.

The five part routine

These days my day looks a little different. 1) Wake up and make coffee, 2) Drink coffee while writing all email and correspondence. Email is my least favorite task of the day so I get it done early to clear my brain. If any research is needed for the work I'll be doing that day I'll do it now. 3) Workout. Again, this gets the blood flowing and creates some distance between my monkey chatter and actual priorities. 4) Lunch. 5) Work. Having cleared my brain, loosened up my body and eaten, I'm ready to sit down for a few hours of solid work. I like to work in short bursts, an hour or two, then take a break.

Is this routine perfect? No. Is it guaranteed to help get shit done. No. Will I still be doing this routine a year from now? Probably not. But at the moment this pattern helps me ease into my day, feel good about what I'm doing and, ultimately, end the day satisfied that work got done and I took care of myself along the way. As project change, as my needs change, so will my routine.

For me, the key components are:

• Clear the brain
• Feed the brain
• Take care of the body
• Create space to work undistracted for short bursts of time

There can be only one (piece of reference material)

When exploring look and feel there can be only one. Okay, maybe there can be more than one but the point is this: Less is more. It’s more selective, it’s more empowering and it’s more efficient. Using fewer references forces you to select the most valuable starting point.

Try this next time you're exploring aesthetics for a design: collect a bunch reference material as you might normally then select the top three, maybe four. One of these is your primary visual reference and the other two or three might have elements you'd like to incorporate. Then begin designing using the primary reference as a base.

This doesn’t mean you should copy directly or be a clone. Just have a simple statement of your aesthetic goals and trust that the process of creation will result in something unique. Your project likely has different content, goals, etc. It will become something different in your hands.

For years everyone one of my projects had folders of reference material for character design, UI, typography, environments, etc. I wasted a lot of time trying to synthesize all those diverse elements. Now I force myself to be selective and choose the fewest reference points I need to get started. While working I allow myself to follow tangents so each piece can find its own identity.

Mastery is not an accident

Even though Luke had a natural gift for the Force he still needed to learn the ways of a Jedi Master. He had to travel across the galaxy to find a mentor and train hard to meet his goals. If he hadn't been committed to learning and growing he probably would've gone back to Tatooine and wasted away in the bars of Mos Eisley.

Through mythology we learn, over and over, that a hero needs to overcome trials before they can succeed but this is something we all face every day if we're taking steps towards growth. We're not all fighting Sith Lords but we do wrestle with the demons that supply excuses and limit the loftiness of our goals. Smite them. Practice your craft daily. Five minutes is better than nothing. So what if you don't have all that time that you'd like? Make the most of the time you have.

Wishes and fantasies are great but they need action to make them happen. What do you want to master and does your effort match your expectations?

Consult experts

I know you're probably amazing at whatever it is you do but I'm sure there are areas that are outside your depth of knowledge - areas where maybe you aren't so amazing. No problem, that's why you have experts as friends, colleagues, and mentors. If you have the budget, hire them. If you don't have a budget, offer an exchange, or buy them dinner and drinks. I've picked many brains over a beer.

Consulting experts will get you to solutions faster and shorten your conversations with clients. That's more upside for you if you're working on a project or flat rate. If you work hourly it means moving to your next project sooner. 

I'm consistently surprised how often people are willing to offer advice or insight around their area of expertise. Don't abuse this. Show appreciation, give them credit when possible and just be gracious. Show willingness to give back. The interviews on ools not Rules are an example of this. Some of the people are my friends and colleagues but some of them are people I've never met, or barely know, but whose work I admire. For a little bit of their time I try to spread the word about their talent. It's not much, maybe, but it's genuine.  

Where do you lack expertise? Now, which of your friends and colleagues have the skills you lack? Reach out to them. Don't worry about being a pain in the ass, you'll return the favor at some point and that's cheaper than going to school or learning the hard way.

Stay loose, but not too loose

Sure, a drink or two helps relax inhibitions. That's why so many people rely on a drink to relax and be creative. Somewhere between tipsy and sloppy there is a relaxed zone of openness, socialiblity and creativity. But it's a fine line. Being relaxed is good. Being sloppy and unable to exercise good judgement? Not so good. You're not a monkey throwing feces at a wall and hoping it'll be art. You want quality ideas and the skills to present them well.

How do you find the creative fugue state without the vino or absinthe? Practice and many hours spent doing the thing you love. 

Don't worry about making making mistakes or something perfect. Just make something and learn from the experience. Stay relaxed. It’s proven that falling when drunk will result in fewer injuries than falling down sober but how do you stay flexible without the drinks? Make some mistakes and learn how to stay loose in the face of adversity. The thing you're making might become something unexpected, and better, if you let it breathe. And if you're sober you're likely to recognize when something is going well.

You need a wingman

As an artist you may know exactly what you want to say but you may not see your work clearly from inside the creative bubble. Whether you’re developing personal or commercial work one thing will be constant: your objectivity will probably suck.

That’s why you need a wingman. Someone to keep you honest, on-target and motivated. A friend, an art director, an editor, or colleague who knows what you’re trying to accomplish. What you see isn’t necessarily what anyone else sees and sometimes it helps to have someone to ask, “Are you drunk?”

Yes, even the best artists, writers, directors and dancers have agents, directors, and editors to help focus the message. To make something great even better. If you don't have a wingman, find one. Be critical of yourself but also invite focused criticism.

Drink beer, learn design

I’m obsessed with beer and liquor packaging. I still draw tons of inspiration from book covers but the past ten years or so the label design of beer, wine and alcohol has become more creative and adventurous as microbreweries, microdistillieries, and local vineyards compete for distinction. 

A good label is efficient: it combines strong typography, illustration, and clear focus to communicate what the product is, to whom it’s speaking and what separates it from the competition. Not an easy task when a consumer is scanning a shelf of beer at the store. And that’s the thing: people don’t read, they scan. This is especially true in packaging but it applies across all media in varying degrees. Why am I using bold text to emphasize points in these blog posts? My hope is that it helps you scan the page and spend a little more time with the content.

Next time you're at a grocery store, craft beer bar, liquor store, bar or wine shoppe take a minute to review the labels. Soften the focus of your eyes and observe what stands out and why? What are the label designs trying to communicate and to whom? What does the Bud Light design say their audience? Does the packaging of your favorite brew reflect you?

I love book cover design for similar reasons but here’s the difference: a book cover describes the contents but a beer label describes both the contents AND consumer. As the craft beer market matures so does the packaging and the identity statements are becoming more nuanced and brave. I'll drink to that.

Kill your babies

I can’t take credit for this wonderfully grim phrase. I can’t even remember where I first heard it but it stuck with me and that’s what counts. Our babies are the ideas we are attached to that prevent us from shifting gears and letting our concepts evolve.

Babies usually contain the seed of a good idea, which makes them hard to release. They consume your time and distract you from alternatives. They are the ideas that no ones else seems to 'get'. They are the amazing ideas that you can't seem to finish. They are the things you defend emotionally but can't describe their quantitative value.

Recognize when you're defending a time sink. If you feel overly defensive when an idea is criticized there's a good chance it's one of your babies. Step back and shift gears.

Anticipate Needs

There are few things worse than then doing a review with your client or PO and getting clobbered with questions you didn’t anticipate. Ideally you would have interviewed them about their goals before you started any actual work but inevitably something slips by.

Think like your client. Internalize their goals as your own. If you work with the same people regularly write down the feedback you anticipate and compare it to the feedback you receive. Do this enough and you’ll see patterns emerge. Most of us have a limited set of scripted needs and we express them over and over. You boss/client/PO is no different.

Regularly step away from your work and anticipate your client's needs. Write them down. Developing this empathy will focus your work, reduce revisions, save time in reviews and your boss or client will trust you more.

Horstman’s Law: Control is an Illusion

This is so true. As a manager there's a strong temptation to over-validate our presence by controlling the conditions and people around us. However you can't control everything. Ultimately you, and your team, will be happier and more productive if you learn to step back. 

“There is not a single person whom you think you “control” who would agree with you. If you really think you’re so good as to control another, then who in your organization thinks that way about you? Stop trying to control. You’re wasting your time. Build relationships that allow you to influence.”

“Build relationships based on trust. Say, “I trust you.” Let your team choose their path at times, even when you disagree.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: The “Other” Way Often Works Just Fine

One of the great things about working in teams is that everyone approaches their work differently. If someone makes a suggestion that doesn't jive with your process or philosophy give their idea it's due. Especially if this is a person whom you respect. It worked for them well enough to earn your respect so there must be value. 

“There’s someone else out there who has succeeded to the same level you have with exactly the opposite intuitions you have. (They wonder how you got where you are too.) Your idea that your way is the right way is routinely controverted. You just think it’s right because it’s yours.”

“Try the opposite every once in a while. After your first thought, wait for a second then try a different one.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: The River Is Wide, The Currents Are Messy, But All The Water Ends Up In The Ocean

If you haven't yet discovered Manager Tools I highly recommend you spend some time with their podcasts. The focus is on becoming an effective manager but I found their content is just as applicable to the lone wolf or freelancer.

“Watch water flow down river sometime. It doesn’t march in nice straight lines. It meanders. It’s messy. Scientists say 20% of it is actually going up river. Your organization is organic–it’s made up of people–just like a river. Your projects and timelines are going to be messy and defy control. Stop fighting it.”

“Don’t worry about or punish every missed deadline–wait for a pattern. Think about a chinese finger puzzle. Sometimes a light touch is the way out. Let go–flow–to get ahead.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Embrace the bad ideas

Seeing is believing. Sometimes the path to resolution, and evolution, of an idea means embracing the bad ideas. Yours and the clients. Sharing the good and bad, and soliciting responses, will tune your understanding of what is important to someone. Its great to hear what works but sometimes, painful as it is, it's helpful to react to something that doesn't work so well.

At some point a client will ask you to do something that you think is a bad idea and, despite your genius, the best thing to do is to show them what they ask for. Scenario #1: their idea works (or leads you to an idea that does work) and you discover that you’re not the genius you thought you were. Scenario #2: the client sees first-hand that their idea doesn’t work and they trust you more. In either case you’ll learn a little more about the project by embracing the request and trying it out.

When I'm working in photoshop, mocking up UI or doing concept work, I save some of the ideas that I anticipate the client would want to see. This is key: I can't archive every idea so I put myself in their shoes and imagine their requests. This is usually pretty easy because they've been vocal about their ideas or I've grilled them for a creative brief before I started working. I can't count the number of times a client has asked to see something that I tried and dismissed it but failed to show them. Now I save myself time and just do what they ask to see (its been budgeted for, anyway) so we can all move along happily.

This doesn’t need to be a source of stress. If you’re working with a new client and you don't know if they're an I-know-what-I-like-when-I-see-it kind of person make sure you budget for iteration. It'll improve the quality of your work and make your clients happier because they'll feel like they've been heard.

The Journey is the Destination

We all love the hero myth. The tale of the underdog who struggles through pain and obstacles to achieve a goal is universally inspiring but when we encounter that pain for ourselves it becomes a different story. But it’s through challenges that we realize our values, shape our opinions and sharpen our skills.

When it comes to our own journeys many people would like to skip packing the bags, the long uncomfortable flight and the slog through customs when we land but our adventures are made richer through the contrast of good experiences and challenges. Would we care about Frodo & Co. if the the trip to Mordor was a piece of cake?

There are all kinds of pain and the better you become at welcoming it with open arms the faster you’ll grow. I’m not saying you should become a masochist but you should be prepared to accept a challenge. This could be the pain of daily practice, asking for critical feedback, pushing beyond your gut reactions or first drafts or the real pain of pushing yourself physically.

The process of making things isn't easy. If it was easy everyone would do it.

The Ninety-Ninety Rule

The Ninety-Ninety Rule is attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs and states the following: "The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time."

The quote was made in relation to computer programming but one of the underlying themes of Tools not Rules is that the concepts translate across disciplines. These ideas work for illustrators, designers, bakers, musicians, dancers and more. The Ninety rule is no exception.

Don't underestimate the amount of work it will take to bring a project to a close. That first big push, coming up with the ideas and laying the groundwork is the easy part. Wrapping up everything (bug fixing, prepping marketing material, getting approval, adding audio, clarifying the UX, etc) so your project is ready for world is the hardest part. If you're an experienced project manager you might have accounted for all of this but if you're just getting started, or working in a new domain, it can't hurt to plan for the final 10% of a project to half, or more, of your production time.

Convert details into goals

Have you ever been frustrated by feedback that’s too specific? We've all had colleagues, clients or managers who get too attached to a specific idea and lose sight of the goal. The button needs to be blue, the educational game for 6-8 year olds needs to have boss battles like the ones in God of War, the logo needs an representative illustration of a winged wolf (because it represents both independence and a commitment to the pack) flying around the sun (because, like Icarus, our best ideas can be the death of us) and it should reproduce well at a range of sizes while appealing equally across genders.

Generally information is the thing that feeds creativity but too much of it (or the fixation on details) can produces obstacles. 

You can’t rely on others to provide enabling information

Don’t blame others for not communicating well. Help the people around you be helpful. Become an alchemist. It’s up to you to get information that you can use and to shift conversation from details to goals. You can try training everyone to give better feedback but I suggest investing in your own interviewing skills so you can extract useful information from anyone, anywhere and at any time. It's a portable skill that will work in all of your relationships.

When the feedback receiving isn't helpful try digging for more information. I like to use the 5 Whys. It's a good strategy for asking judgement-free questions that reveal the goal without challenging the other person's authority. Sometimes I'll even preface the questions with something like. "I want to better understand your goals. Mind if I ask some questions?" What client would say no to that?

Negotiate space for creativity

Once you've converted detailed feedback into something more goal-oriented you're ready to ask your manager/client/stakeholder whether they're open to other solutions that address their goals. At this point you've helped them articulate their values/needs and the act of telling you what's important will help them realize there might be other solutions. 

At this point in the process I'll ask for some space, "Now that I know your goals, do you mind if I explore other options?"

Will this always result in more creative freedom? Maybe not 100% of the time but it's more likely you'll get what you need than stewing in silence at your desk and wrestling with that winged wolf logo. Oh, by the way, the client just called and they want the logo to have a script font.

Get six-pack abs through effective feature tracking

That's right, a good feature tracking tool will help you get the abs you've always wanted. How? With all the time you'll save you can easily squeeze in five minutes to work your core. I'm only half kidding. Imagine, if running a tighter, more organized, project wins you back 10-30 minutes per day what would you do with that time?

Continuing my efforts to make free and easy to use project management tools available to you I've just uploaded a simple feature tracking sheet to the resources page. According to my Google search a feature is "a distinctive attribute or aspect of something." For our purposes features are the individual components of a larger project. For example: if you're building a theater show you might start breaking down features by category: story, script, costumes, lighting, set, etc. Each of those represent some component of the larger whole.

There are tons of great tools out there for tracking features within a project (Agile, Kanban, Trello, Pivotal Tracker, etc) but I wanted something simple with little friction between my ideas and decisions so I made this tracking sheet. It's good for quick planning alongside other tools like those listed above. For smaller projects this worksheet might be all you need but for larger projects with multiple collaborators you could use this to sketch your project then migrate your features to something like Trello.

The Priority column is a drop down menu with three values: 1 (this feature needs to happen), 2 (it would be great if this feature happened) and 3 (life will go on if this feature doesn't happen). Feel free to modify this document to suit your needs: add new columns, copy and paste to extend the existing columns, etc.

Feel free to contact me with any questions!

www.tools-not-rules.com