The Relentless Cycle of Refinement: When to Change Your Design Strategy

At times, we find ourselves in a relentless cycle of refinement. Like a master chef tirelessly adjusting a recipe, we tweak, change, and hope each minor modification edges us closer to perfection. However, there’s a stage when no additional seasoning can enrich the dish further. This point is what Andrew Chen refers to as the ‘Local Maximum’ — a peak where your design, in its existing form, can’t significantly improve. Regardless of the number of changes, your design has reached its ceiling of potential.

The concept of local maximum originates in mathematics, specifically in calculus, where it describes a point where a function’s value is greater than its neighbouring values, but not necessarily the greatest value over its entire domain. The concept of local maximum, however, is a fundamental idea that can be applied across many fields outside of mathematics, including design.

The local maximum becomes visible in design when our strategies orbit excessively around systematic methods like A/B testing. It is frequently observed in major tech companies, who often fall into this pattern of constant iteration, testing and minor tweaks, but seldom make seismic changes to their designs. As a result, their design evolves at a snail’s pace, one small adjustment at a time. It’s like trying to squeeze the last drop of juice from a thoroughly wrung-out lemon — you can twist and turn, but you’re not going to get much more out of it.

As designers, we often reach a point where we exhaust the readily available fixes. We’re then faced with a decision: do we persist with the safety of small testable tweaks, or do we step out of our comfort zones to institute a radical, fundamental change?

It’s at this junction that we should consider more unconventional strategies. Could we reorient our product to offer a stronger value proposition? Could we revamp the ‘core mechanics’ of the product? Is there a different audience that could better resonate with our service? These daring changes are not minor elements that could be effortlessly tested, rather, they are bold decisions demanding our intuition and courage.

When our design improvements start losing their impact, it’s time to shift our focus. Instead of minor details, we should invest our efforts into analysis of broader user behaviour. Dive deep into their needs, their pain-points, their goals. This comprehensive understanding empowers us to make transformative changes.

When you’re ready to leap beyond your ‘Local Maximum,’ do so with unwavering courage. But bear in mind, the journey of enhancement is never over. Every new design challenge we face presents its own peak to conquer.

As digital designers, we should view the ‘Local Maximum,’ not as a barrier but as a springboard for innovation and growth. It’s an opportunity to learn, evolve and to propel our designs, and our users’ experiences, to new heights. So, remember, when you reach your own ‘Local Maximum,’ take it as a sign not of an end, but of an exciting beginning, brimming with opportunities for creative reinvention.