> This, ultimately, leads us to what may seem like a paradox of product design. > - We need to focus on the high-level design questions first, because otherwis

> This, ultimately, leads us to what may seem like a paradox of product design. > - We need to focus on the high-level design questions first, because otherwise we will make incoherent detailed design decisions. > - It is important that we get the high-level design questions right, which we can only do if we postpone them for as long as possible. This rings true to me. At least I can’t find a way around it per se. In practice I have two ways to deal with (but not fix) this problem: 1. Make it easy to prototype. Trying out is often the fastest way to disprove a hypothesis, or modify it. 2. Don’t over-invest in the solution, even if it’s for production. Instead, pick the easiest solution. Almost all overengineering I’ve done have been wasted, because high level decisions were changed anyway. Leave a comment but don’t implement. At the end of the day, you have to develop a gut-feeling for unknowns. Realizing what you don’t know is an invaluable asset, if you shift your method accordingly. The more experience I get, the more I realize how little I know. On the plus-side, it’s wonderful when you do find those unexpected problems that are very clear and optimizable, and a lot of fun.