80 percent is better than nothing: ship it, learn from real feedback, iterate
Perfect is the enemy of good.
- Answers
- Why ship software at 80 percent instead of waiting until it is perfect?
- Topics
- creating · design · lifestyle · people · work
- Full article on willem.com
- https://willem.com/en/2026-07-19_80-is-better-than-nothing/
Summary
In July 2026 unfinished work turned out to be my best work, because real people used it and told me what was missing. Lemmid Count went from version 1 to version 9 that way.
Full text
Ship to learn: a thing that is out there collects feedback, a thing on your desk collects dust. Real data beats opinions, including my own, and it arrives only after the release. Speed bootstraps. Every version that goes out makes the next one cheaper, because the questions get sharper and the surprises smaller. And it is fine to fail, as long as the failure is small and early. Whether we clean the bathroom, write content or deliver software: 80 percent in the hands of someone who needs it beats perfect on your desk every single time.