SDP-001. The First Draft of Anything Is Shit

Guy: one, the first draft of anything is shit.

Guy: Welcom to Service Design Principles. I'm Guy Martin, joined by the author of the ServiceGuy Martin, joined by the author of the Service

Design Principle series of books, the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy and Service designthe Swiss Innovation Academy and Service design

Practitioner. The effusive aniele CatalanottoD

Daniele: Hi Guy, it's such a pleasure to be here with you.with you.

Guy: Me too. each episode we're going to look at one of the principles from from your bookone of the principles from from your book

Service Design Principles 1 to 100. And today it's principle number one. The first draft ofit's principle number one. The first draft of

anything is shit. Now, some listeners may recognize this as a quote from Ernest Hemingway,recognize this as a quote from Ernest Hemingway,

the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. But it's since become a bit of ain 1954. But it's since become a bit of a

foundation of service design. Why is that, Daniele.Daniele.

Daniele: So I think in Service Design often what we try to do is we try to put out stuff so thatwe try to do is we try to put out stuff so that

we then see how people react to it. And what we know is that basically whatever we show toknow is that basically whatever we show to

people, people will always tell us the same thing. Oh, interesting. But and then do you havething. Oh, interesting. But and then do you have

a lot of information about all this stuff that you did wrong? And so it's kind of thisyou did wrong? And so it's kind of this

realization that whatever you do and whatever you put out, even if you worked on a lot of it,you put out, even if you worked on a lot of it,

it's still a first draft for people who see it, and therefore it's still something that isand therefore it's still something that is

pretty shitty. And therefore understanding that helps us to go in a way that we say, Let's movehelps us to go in a way that we say, Let's move

the first draft much further, much nearer to to us and not wait too long because we know it'sus and not wait too long because we know it's

going to be shit for people anyways. And so it's just being the first thing that we want outsidejust being the first thing that we want outside

and then have people react to it and which we know they will say it's shit. And from that weknow they will say it's shit. And from that we

can then improve based on their feedback.

Guy: So it's kind of like giving the liberty to just get started. Like,just get started. Like,

Daniele: Exactly.

Guy: don't don't have any excuse to delay.

Daniele: Yeah. You know, it's kind of this thing where you say, Anyways, it will be shit. So itwhere you say, Anyways, it will be shit. So it

just just go, you know, because it's okay, you know, And it's it has kind of this is a veryknow, And it's it has kind of this is a very

liberating thing when you when you tell somebody, ah, you know, we will not show it. You know,ah, you know, we will not show it. You know,

it's like when you say when you record something and you say we we're going to record it, but weand you say we we're going to record it, but we

not going to publishing it.

Guy: Right.

Daniele: And then what happens is people are very free, you know, and they express all thevery free, you know, and they express all the

things. And then maybe at the end you say, now we have the recording, would you like us to dowe have the recording, would you like us to do

something with it? And it was quite good that yeah, it was quite good, you know. So sometimesyeah, it was quite good, you know. So sometimes

it just takes out depression.

Guy: Righ. And actually, it's it's. It's kind of the intent is relative, right? It's not that,the intent is relative, right? It's not that,

the first draft is shit in isolation of everything else, because it could actually beeverything else, because it could actually be

quite good, that first draft. But in relation to what you're going to end up with, your finalwhat you're going to end up with, your final

result, t final draft, after you've done all of the revisions and editing in comparison, maybethe revisions and editing in comparison, maybe

it looks a bit shit.

Daniele: Yeah,

Guy: So I think that's a trap I've fallen into where I think, okay, well my first draft iswhere I think, okay, well my first draft is

pretty good. Well, I don't need to revise it. Right. But that's not the purpose.Right. But that's not the purpose.

Daniele: I would say, you know, as any rules, you know, these services and principles,you know, these services and principles,

sometimes people say they are rules which, which is a thing that I don't like so much because foris a thing that I don't like so much because for

me they are kind of like starting points and little provocations. You know, they arelittle provocations. You know, they are

formulated as like little advices, but as with every advice, you know, when your mum told youevery advice, you know, when your mum told you

to not do something, you know, sometimes you just did the opposite and you learn somethingjust did the opposite and you learn something

from it. But having heard your mom saying you to not do something sometimes was very good for younot do something sometimes was very good for you

to, to then learn by yourself. And so here I wouldn't say that in every case, you know, thewouldn't say that in every case, you know, the

first draft is shit, but by believing it, it definitely helps us to put stuff out. And itdefinitely helps us to put stuff out. And it

happened to me that, you know, the first draft was in fact a very good solution. But knowingwas in fact a very good solution. But knowing

that, believing that the first draft is shit pushed me to make a second draft, pushed me topushed me to make a second draft, pushed me to

make another proposition.

Guy: Right.

Daniele: And then when people just come back and say, you know, the first one was the right one,say, you know, the first one was the right one,

you have then the confidence that indeed it was the right one because you had you have tested athe right one because you had you have tested a

few things. You have tried to improve A maybe you come back to the first idea, which is okay,you come back to the first idea, which is okay,

but you then have the confidence of knowing it's a good one because I've tested enough and thea good one because I've tested enough and the

danger of not having that sentence or that idea in your mind is you're going to do something andin your mind is you're going to do something and

you're going to believe it's perfect.

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: And so you're going to assume it's going to be perfect. And so you invest money,going to be perfect. And so you invest money,

for example, in marketing and stuff. And then but your idea isn't that perfect.but your idea isn't that perfect.

Guy: Right.

Daniele: And sometimes yes, sometimes no. So believing it's always shit is maybe easier to tobelieving it's always shit is maybe easier to to

manage that than believing it's always great and

Guy: Mm

Daniele: being

Guy: hmm.

Daniele: disappointed 99% of the time.

Guy: Right. Makes perfect sense.

Guy: So I guess for people listening, maybe there's an action they can take here If they'rethere's an action they can take here If they're

delaying starting something, If they're sort of putting things off or if they think, oh, I'm notputting things off or if they think, oh, I'm not

quite good enough at this yet or something like this. Maybe just go draft something, make thatthis. Maybe just go draft something, make that

first shitty draft. Start editing it. Doing a second draft can only happen once you've donesecond draft can only happen once you've done

that first one. So get that

Daniele: Exactly.

Guy: out of the way

Daniele: And share it.

Guy: and share it?.

Daniele: Yeah. You know, and there is the this is the one thing that I've learned is likeis the one thing that I've learned is like

people often think they should only share the final version.final version.

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: But there is so much more today to to get from sharing that first shitty draftget from sharing that first shitty draft

Guy: Okay.

Daniele: because this is something that I've learned, which is, you know, the principles thatlearned, which is, you know, the principles that

you've read in the book.

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: They came out as blog articles first, you know, without proofreading, without me evenyou know, without proofreading, without me even

rereading the article back in

Guy: Right.

Daniele: the days, I would just write it in one go and hit publish. But then what happens?go and hit publish. But then what happens?

Because it was just for me to say, I have this idea, I'm going to put it out in the world. Andidea, I'm going to put it out in the world. And

I'm and so I have a kind of like a way to find them back,them back,

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: which was good. But then what happened is these first draft, you know, people startedis these first draft, you know, people started

to react to them. Peo started to say, Oh, this is quite interesting. Oh, I would add this. Iis quite interesting. Oh, I would add this. I

would add that. And then it started to for me to realization, Oh, this could be something morerealization, Oh, this could be something more

than what I thought.

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: And so putting out the first draft usually also gives you also a bit of a of a kickusually also gives you also a bit of a of a kick

because other people recognize what could be the value of it. If there was a second draft. Ifvalue of it. If there was a second draft. If

what if if there was a third draft. But you know sometimes I don't know. You know, I was limitedsometimes I don't know. You know, I was limited

in my in my imagination by saying this would be a blog article, but then people coming back toa blog article, but then people coming back to

it and saying, Oh, this is quite good, this is quite good, this is quite good, this is quitequite good, this is quite good, this is quite

good at this. Okay, now I have enough to make a book called It could be a book, you know, andbook called It could be a book, you know, and

that's kind of why I'm saying not

Guy: Yeah.

Daniele: not only do

Guy: Mm

Daniele: a first

Guy: hmm.

Daniele: draft, but also share it because people would react to it and show the hidden value thatwould react to it and show the hidden value that

you don't realize because we are all evaluating ourselves.ourselves.

Guy: Okay. I wouldn't have shared my first draft, But maybe that's something I need to to startBut maybe that's something I need to to start

doing. Is I would usually write the first draft and go, okay, that's out of the way. I can throwand go, okay, that's out of the way. I can throw

that in the bin. And now I'll go on with my revisions and then I'll share the revision. whatrevisions and then I'll share the revision. what

you're saying makes make sense. You get feedback very early and you can you can change directionvery early and you can you can change direction

early in the piece if you need to. and also get the validation, I guess, to say, yes, it is athe validation, I guess, to say, yes, it is a

good idea. It is. You're in the right direction, so maybe you don't need to throwso maybe you don't need to throw

Daniele: Yeah.

Guy: it out. So that's very insightful.

Daniele: And sometimes sharing doesn't mean it's shared with the world. Sometimes sharing meansshared with the world. Sometimes sharing means

just sharing it with a co-worker, with a friend,

Guy: Right?

Daniele: you know, That's obviously the level of sharing is also dependent on on on how howsharing is also dependent on on on how how

dangerous it can be to share. You know, sometimessometimes

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: it's it's might not be as smart as to share everything. You know, if you're building ashare everything. You know, if you're building a

service, you don't want to impact the lives of people who write that way with something thatpeople who write that way with something that

that isn't perfect,

Guy: Mm hmm.

Daniele: obviously, but share it already with a small group of people who you trust and whosmall group of people who you trust and who

trust you. They can give you some very good feedback that you don't imagine.feedback that you don't imagine.

Guy: thanks Thanks Daniele and thanks to everyone listening. And we'll see you in theeveryone listening. And we'll see you in the

next episode, which is principal number two.

Daniele: thanks, Guy. Was a pleasure.