Being a designer, of course you hate everything.

Adore this quote from storied designer Thomas Overthun:

“Being a designer, of course you hate everything.”

He's talking about designing a premium water bottle.

But he's right.

That endless dissatisfaction is great fuel for design.

I'm always grateful to Chris Flink for his idea of the Gift of Suckiness. The best things to design are the worst things in the world, because the impact you can have is enormous.

If you want to create impact, don't waste your time trying to make the iPhone 5% better. That same effort could 5x the experience at something awful like an airport check-in counter. (sorry, airline friends)

But, there's also this mindset of looking for flaws.

Finding what sucks.

That endless dissatisfaction becomes a super power.

You get better at spotting the flaws.

And it's addictive.

Because each thing you design just pushes you on to do more.

To make something better than last time.

It's never enough.

And that's wonderful.