Small Details Can Make A Big Difference

I never use to be a person who was patient enough to deal with the details. When I was younger I worked construction. I was a framer because when framing the only thing I needed to worry about was the measurements. If the the wall was a quarter of an inch off or a bit out of plumb it only took a few good thwacks with the hammer and it was good.

I'm getting older and the muscle is starting to be replaced with patience. I can no longer rely on brute strength to put up the wall. Now I must plan things and focus on the details before I attempt to start putting the wall together. In doing so I've learned something; it makes the work a lot easier!

All the time I thought I was getting it done quickly by using force, but I learned with a small amount of planning I'm now able to execute a plan in a fraction of the time with half the work.

For example...

Last night I spent a negligible amount of time converting my copyright information on TrailCentral. A month into 2008 and the copyright still read 2007. I could have done the quick fix and simply changed the hard coded copyright, but then in eleven months I will need to remember to do it again. No thanks.

By simply making my copyright year a variable instead of a hard coded value I am able to save myself from the hassle of dealing with this same change next year.

It seems like such a minor detail, but I'm learning that when you are building it isn't just the functionality that makes something great, but also the peripheral details which work together to enhance the experience of the functionality through the eyes of the user.

For this reason the details should be purposeful and not overused. Otherwise, the details will overwhelm the functionality and hinder the users experience; something I plan to address this year.

"God is in the details."

~ Mies Van Der Rohe (architect)