The beauty of tension
What if friction in the process is actually the point?
The best design work rarely starts with certainty.
More often, it starts in tension.
Between performance and beauty. Speed and thoughtfulness. The pull to simplify and the push to solve for complexity.
Early in my career, I saw tension as something to resolve—something that meant we hadn’t figured it out yet. But over time, I’ve learned that tension is the work. And leaning into it, rather than rushing past it, almost always leads to better outcomes.
I’ve been part of product meetings where we debated the difference between “clean” and “minimal.” I’ve watched fittings where one small change unlocked everything. I’ve seen team members bring entirely different instincts to a problem—and somehow, through honest friction, arrive at something nobody could have made alone.
Tension forces clarity.
It asks us to pause, to challenge assumptions, to make trade-offs that are intentional rather than reactive.
The products I’m most proud of came from moments like these—where things weren’t obvious, but we stayed with it. Where we didn’t pick one side of the equation, but found something new by holding both.
This isn’t just about product.
It’s about process. About leadership. About building teams that don’t fear creative friction, but use it.
Because tension is where the best ideas live, and that is where the real work begins.
This post is part of Beneath the Surface, an ongoing series about navigating the less-visible parts of the design process.
If you’re exploring similar questions—or building product that balances performance with meaning…
