Rough, or polished?
Sometimes the customer (the colleague, the friend, the partner) is happy with the rough cut:
- a taste of the batter before it’s cooked . . .
- the hand-drawn wireframe that’s not too precise to fiddle with . . .
- the back-of-the-envelope calculation . . .
- Bob Dylan bootlegs . . .
~ ~ ~
Sometimes, precision and thoroughness are mandatory:
- a legal filing . . .
- surgical work . . .
- service at a five-star resort . . .
- a NASA launch . . .
White-glove service is out of place at the neighborhood bar. “Pretty close” is out of place if you’re inspecting an Airbus before takeoff.
Your challenge is to figure out when each level of detail, attention, or service is called for – and not to be tempted to give the wrong one.
~
(Polished diamonds photo by Swamibu; rough diamonds photo by Northern Xander.)
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I think audience plays a role in the answer. For example, execs @ my work would not be interested in “half-baked” layout. They want to see real deal – don’t bother them with brainstorm and ideas. Polished all the way for them. Whereas meetings taking place during course of project allow more freedom for the rough cut.
Good comment, Kerri. There are times for mockups, blue-sky thinking, rough prototypes. And then there are times for hospital corners and crisp presentations. You’ve highlighted one of the classic processes that call for both, but at different phases.