One of the reasons that Japanese katana’s are such strong blades is the technique used to make them called folding. A swordsmith will forge and hammer out a long blade, and then fold the steel onto itself, repeating the process dozens of time, if not more. This technique has an advantage. Each time the blade is folded some of the oxygen and impurities are removed, making it harder and stronger. It produces a sword that is durable and resistant to wear, and the folded blade has become the stuff of legends.
Sometimes, working on a website can feel like that. Sometimes it’s unclear what a project is going to look like. You want to build something resilient and versatile, but you don’t quite know what it’s all going to look like.
So you build out the project and cover as much ground as you can. You give it a broad, rough pass that takes into account as many of the requirements you have, and the corners you’re able to see around.
And then, you fold it. Once you have the site all laid out, you can see where some of the impurities are. Where there are rough edges to the experience, and places where information is not immediately apparent, or the design starts to fall apart.
And so you can go over it again, from the start, with new assumptions and fresh ideas. You’ll find the holes you missed the first time, and fill them. You’ll add details to pages you hadn’t even anticipated. You’ll add animations and transitions and see what it’s like when a design meets real content.
Then, as a team, you’ll fold it again. And each time you rebuild you’ll get something more durable and more precise.
Rebecca West (echoing Einstein’s temples of science quote) reflects on the need for those that inquire about the universe.
If during the next million generations there is but one human being born in every generation who will not cease to inquire into the nature of his fate, even while it strips and bludgeons him, some day we shall read the riddle of our universe.
Notes
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