When a new project kicks off there is always a tendency to go big with the design.

We want to design for impact. There is a passion for taking the existing design and elevating it to modern standards. We all love the before / after shot.

It makes sense. We see all the ways to make it better. So we paint the picture of what could be. We redesign all the things. And it's beautiful. The typography, colors, icons are on point, and the user interaction flow is clear. It's Dribbble-worthy.

This approach makes sense in the agency world. The client hires the agency for this reason. They want to elevate their brand and may want to make a bigger impact with their marketing. So complete redesigns are sometimes necessary to energize people around the product.

But when it comes to a product that has real users, this approach tends to fall flat. It might make sense to the stakeholders - they might love it. However, the stakeholders are not the users. And the user has needs today that are not being addressed.

Diving into the small wins

So when you focus on the context of the small details, this can lead to big wins.

To do this designers have to get closer to the "now" state of the design. What is their experience today? Where are the small points in their experience that can be improved? How will the design improve this?

In these small details, larger, more global things can be improved. For example, if the navigation is confusing to users, look for ways to improve the usability of it throughout the UI. Design this with a global component mindset so this one small thing could lead to a first step in a bigger redesign.

This is a typical agile approach to iterative, user-centric design.

How to reposition the product team or clients

This starts with knowledge.

Knowlege is the foundation of uncovering the small things and bigger connective themes. So the team has to start with a data or question first approach. What do we know about the current user experience? Before a single pixel is designed.

A journey map and a context map can help frame up the story to start asking the right questions. The team has to align around problem discovery and what will the outcome could be if we solve these problems.

This will align the team to focus on the small things first.

Teams that do this well

There are a ton of teams that do this approach well. Duolingo for example, has made language learning accessible and engaging by focusing on small, gamified lessons all centered around small user interactions. This has helped Duolingo become one of the most popular language-learning apps.

The introduction of Amazon Prime was initially a small detail in Amazon's vast range of services. At first they wanted to make a loyalty program that offered free two-day shipping for a flat annual fee. This service fundamentally changed customer behavior, significantly increasing customer loyalty and annual spending on Amazon, and has become a cornerstone of Amazon's business model.

Conclusion

In sum, the big allure of redesigning everything from scratch is undeniable, especially in agency land.

Yet, the real magic happens in honing in on the small details that genuinely elevate the user experience. By digging into the data and starting with the right questions, design teams can pinpoint these impactful nuances.

This approach not only brings the team closer to what users really need but also paves the way for broader, more meaningful changes. Success stories from giants like Duolingo and Amazon Prime showcase how such focused improvements can fundamentally shift user engagement and business outcomes.

Adopting this agile, detail-focused strategy is key to crafting designs that truly resonate, ensuring the product’s success is as real as its users.