This is why you can’t finish early
It’s more psychological than you thought
Introduction
We often hear the adage,
“If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do.”
This sentiment captures the essence of Parkinson’s Law, which states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” At its core, the law suggests that if you’re given 5 days to complete a task, you’ll invariably take all 5 days, even if the task could have been finished sooner. Similarly, if allotted an entire year for the same task, it’s likely the whole year will be consumed. Rooted in observations of bureaucracy and human nature, this principle has wide-reaching implications, from personal productivity to project management and, notably, the domain of User Experience (UX) design. In the world of UX, understanding and mitigating the effects of Parkinson’s Law can be pivotal in delivering timely and effective results.
If you’ve been keeping up with our “30 Days of UX Laws and Principles” series, you’ll find today’s topic — Day 22 — particularly fascinating. If you missed the previous article, make sure to catch up on Day 21!
Today we will be exploring :
- Decoding the Parkinson’s Law
- Parkinson’s law and UX
- Real-Life Brand Examples
- Difficulties and Limitations
Breaking Down Parkinson’s Law
Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a renowned British historian and scholar, introduced the world to a seemingly simple, yet deeply impactful statement:
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
At its core, this observation offers a window into the intricate interplay between human behavior, time management, and work ethics.
In 1955, Parkinson’s insights first graced the world in a slightly humorous article in The Economist. While the intent was satirical, it brought to the forefront the systemic bureaucratic inefficiencies plaguing the British Civil Service. Parkinson highlighted how administrators and officials, despite having ample resources and time, often became embroiled in unnecessary complexities, causing tasks to drag on far longer than they reasonably should.
However, this principle didn’t remain confined to the bureaucratic corridors of Britain. Over the decades, it found resonance across varied sectors, from corporate boardrooms to educational institutions, emphasizing a universal human tendency to adjust the complexity and duration of a task to the time allotted.
Imagine you’re baking cookies. If someone asks you to bake a dozen in 1 hour, you’d probably get right to it: mix the dough, shape them, and pop them in the oven. Now, if you’re given 3 hours for the same dozen cookies, you might start experimenting. Maybe you’ll try a new shape, or decide to decorate each one differently. You could end up spending those 3 hours perfecting each cookie, even if the extra effort doesn’t necessarily make them taste better. What could’ve been a straightforward task has now filled up all the available time.
This isn’t just about inefficiency or poor time management. At a deeper level, Parkinson’s Law brings to light our psychological relationship with time. When unconstrained, we often gravitate towards perfectionism, wanting to use every available moment to polish and perfect, even when it’s not needed. In contrast, when pressed for time, our focus sharpens, priorities get streamlined, and we zero in on what truly matters, often leading to more effective outcomes.
Parkinson’s Law and UX
Parkinson’s Law, which suggests that work expands to fill the time available for its completion, is not just an old adage; it has significant implications in the world of UX design. Understanding and countering the impacts of this law can lead to more efficient, effective, and user-centric design processes.
How Parkinson’s Law Affects UX Design
- Expanded Scope Without Necessity: Just like the team that turns a simple bug fix into a two-week ordeal, UX designers with ample time might overcomplicate a user interface. They might add unnecessary features, animations, or components simply because there’s time to explore, rather than focusing on what users truly need.
- Procrastination: A designer given a month to design a single interface could delay starting, assuming there’s plenty of time. This could lead to rushed decisions towards the end, impacting user experience negatively.
- Triviality Over Importance: Given more time, design discussions might prioritize less important elements over crucial ones. For example, a team might spend days debating the shade of a button instead of addressing the functionality behind it.
Strategies to Overcome Parkinson’s Law in UX
- Clear Vision and Drivers: At the onset of a project, clarify the goals. Does the design prioritize user engagement, conversion, accessibility, or something else? When the team understands the bigger picture, they can align their efforts accordingly.
- Defined Roles and Responsibilities: Use frameworks like DACI to clarify roles. Knowing who drives decisions, who approves, and who contributes can streamline the design process and keep it focused.
- Scope Boundaries: At the project’s beginning, define what’s in and out of scope. If designing a landing page, for example, decide early on if it will include animations, embedded videos, or interactive components. This keeps the project from bloating.
- Trade-offs Recognition: Acknowledge that not everything planned will fit perfectly. If an element doesn’t improve UX or align with project goals, be ready to trade it off.
- Timeline with Milestones: Instead of giving a broad deadline, break the project into smaller tasks with their own deadlines. If designing an e-commerce site, one could set milestones for product listing design, checkout process, user reviews section, and so on. These smaller deadlines maintain momentum and stave off procrastination.
Parkinson’s in Full Stack Design
Prototyping Phase:
A design team is given a month to prototype a new feature. Ideally, a basic model can be drafted in a week. However, knowing there’s ample time, they spend weeks refining unnecessary details, leading to only finalizing the prototype towards the end of the month.
Feedback Loops:
An extended period for stakeholder feedback can sometimes be detrimental. With too much time, stakeholders might scrutinize minor details, leading to countless revisions that might not significantly impact the end product but do stretch out the development phase.
Research Overextension:
While user research is pivotal, giving excessive time might result in teams over-researching. For instance, instead of focusing on critical user pain points, they might delve deep into trivial user preferences, thus delaying the actual design and implementation.
Quality Assurance (QA) Testing:
QA teams given extended timelines might test the product under very rare and unrealistic scenarios. While thorough testing is beneficial, too much time might lead to unnecessary testing cycles, delaying the product’s release without adding real value.
Launch Delays:
Consider a product scheduled for launch in six months. Instead of focusing on critical launch elements, the team might become absorbed in creating the perfect marketing campaign or refining the product’s minor aspects. The result? A delayed launch because core launch requirements get squeezed into the final weeks.
Conclusion
Parkinson’s Law is a critical consideration in UX. With an understanding of its pitfalls and strategies to counteract them, design teams can produce interfaces that are not just completed efficiently but also center on genuine user needs and goals. By continually ensuring the focus remains on essential UX elements and not getting caught up in the nuances when unnecessary, design processes can become more streamlined and effective.
Written by: Inchara, kubo media team.
Check out: 30 Days of UX Laws and Principles
Check out Day 21: Parkinson’s law
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