Many people believe that the process of iterating a design is what causes a project to be slower; however, it is actually a slow iteration process that causes to have no momentum.

A client recently completed five separate design iterations for a product within the span of seven days.

What We Learned 🔍

> Iteration 1 looked great in CAD, but failed under real-world load.

> Iteration 2 fixed strength, but assembly became awkward.

> Iteration 3 improved usability, but surface feel was off.

> Iteration 4 solved ergonomics, but tolerances needed tightening.

> Iteration 5 finally delivered what the product was meant to be.

If you look only at drawings and simulations, you will never find these problems. You can find these problems only through the experience of physically holding, testing and using the product.

The Insight? 💡

While the number of iterations you go through is important, the speed of those iterations is far more important.

When teams work through their iterations in days instead of weeks, they stop thinking about their designs and begin to understand how to build great products.

How Many Iterations Does Your Process Actually Allow ❓