Do-Over! Turning Back the Clock on your Old Designs

I have an almost uncanny tendency to completely forget about work I have done in the past. It is probably because of the pace at which I move from one initiative to another, and the fact that I am constantly thinking ahead about what needs to get done next (and hopefully it’s not early onset dementia).

When I’m trying to solve a problem, or have a sense of déjà vu and the strong feeling that I might have tackled a similar issue before, I poke around in old design work as one avenue for inspiration. Sometimes I get lucky and something useful turns up during that trip down memory lane, either ideas that were proposed but never implemented, or structures, concepts, or templates that can be reused for my current work.

The experience is kind of like when I look through old photos: one thing leads to another and suddenly I’m sitting there with snapshots covering every inch of the floor and I have a big grin on my face thinking about the good times they represent. Except when I’m reviewing old designs, I’m intensely critical about the decisions I made. I inevitably pick them apart and judge every aspect, completely forgetting about budgets, timeline constraints, or client demands and focusing solely on the design decisions as if they were made in a vacuum. Instead of a grin on my face, I’m wincing as if I just came across the 8th grade photo with the bad perm and braces. I think to myself: “Ugh, why did I do it that way?” or “That’s the strategy I used?” I quickly come to the conclusion that if I were to do it all over again, I would do it differently and it would be soooo much better.

This process might not sound like much fun, but looking back on my old designs is not just nostalgic and/or cringe-inducing, it’s actually useful! A fresh look at my own designs after time has passed and without the lenses of project constraints helps to refine ideas to a level that wasn’t possible when there were budgetary or timeline limitations. Those are the ideas that are recycled, revamped, and improved upon as inspiration for my next endeavor.

Today, I came across the design for a game that I did a year ago. When I reviewed the documentation, I thought to myself “Hey, this is actually good!” For me, this was a rare reaction. Maybe I ate my Wheaties the day I wrote that, or the kids slept through the night and I was feeling particularly well-rested, but I like to think this self-analysis exercise is actually working and helping produce better designs each time I do it.

Next time you have a window of time or need inspiration, try it! Look back on work you have done in the past and reflect on your own designs. I guarantee you'll learn something from it. And please: if you come across my 8th grade photo, let’s keep it off of Facebook, ok?