One of the most difficult things about great design is recognizing it once you achieve it.

Something that is designed well will often appear simple and obvious, which can be counterintuitive when you’re the one doing the designing. You pour a huge amount of time and effort into creating something only to have it all culminate in something that other people would look at and say, “Oh, yeah, of course.” It can be demoralizing and distressing. Worst of all, it can make it seem like you’re not done yet.

One of the worst mistakes a designer can make is deciding that something seems too simple or too obvious, and then making it worse by trying to fix something that isn’t broken. The best design is often the design that people don’t notice.

If you find yourself working on something and you reach a point where it’s simple, functional, and intuitive you should probably stop right there. Great design isn’t about showcasing the work you put in, it’s about being the best solution to the problem you originally set out to solve.