FIXING ANYTHING WITH DUCT TAPE
“duct tape fixes grip and visibility. function beats aesthetics.”
The Lesson
A battery pack looks sleek and shiny. Which means it's slippery and jumps out of your hand. The power button is the same color as the case. Invisible. Two design flaws. One fix: duct tape. Wrap it around for grip. Leave the button area uncovered so it's obvious by contrast. You've fixed both problems. Function over aesthetics. The duct tape approach: identify the actual failure modes (grip, visibility), apply the simplest solution that addresses all of them.
Real-World Example
A founder's product has a beautiful UI but users can't find the main action button. It's subtle and 'on brand.' Analytics show 60% bounce at that screen. The duct tape solution: make the button ugly-bright, high-contrast, impossible to miss. Conversions jump 40%. Later they can refine the design. First, fix the actual problem with whatever works, even if it's not pretty.
Watch Scott explain this lesson
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