noteJan 8, 2026

Signal over polish

Notes on why some prototypes should look unfinished but still feel intentional.

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Short form, still useful.

Notes stay brief, but they keep enough detail to be worth revisiting.

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A rough prototype can still communicate care. The trick is deciding what gets the care: rhythm, contrast, labels, maybe sound, but not every surface.

Polish is expensive when it starts hiding the question the prototype was meant to answer.

I keep coming back to the idea that prototypes need strong signals more than complete finishes.