Outcomes over outputs

An outcome is the change a product makes. An output is something the team produces while working on it.

Outputs are tools. The outcome is what they are for.

Designers can spend weeks producing artifacts and still lose sight of the problem. The work matters only if it helps us make something useful for users.

That does not mean every artifact is waste. It means each one should earn its place:

• Ask why we need it
• Make only what helps us answer a question or make a decision
• Stop when it is no longer useful

UX work should solve a real problem for a real person. Wireframes, prototypes, and documents can help. They are not the result.

Ask: “What is the least we need to make to solve this problem?”

Sticky notes, sketches, documents, and prototypes are useful while the team is making a decision. The final product, and what users can do with it, is what matters.

Before making another artifact, ask whether it will help the team move forward or merely keep it busy.

Artifacts are temporary. What matters is whether the product solves a real problem for users.