Rethinking Iteration: From Endless Loops to Purposeful Progress
Why endless iteration fails without clear direction, and how aligning around real user needs, collaborative design, and strategic focus leads to tools that actually work.
Over the years, I’ve noticed a recurring challenge in how teams approach product and internal tool design: iteration without direction. Whether you're building something for customers or for internal users, it's easy to fall into the trap of solving the wrong problems, or solving the right problems without a shared understanding of what success looks like.
Sometimes the distinction between products and internal tools gets blurry. Products are built to be sold, tools are built to support work, but both require thoughtful design. Both need to address real user needs, create value, and deliver return on investment. And yet, even with a business case and a clear problem statement, teams can drift when they aren't aligned on how to get there.
There are countless talented agencies out there crafting websites and digital interfaces, and inside organizations, support teams are doing their best to build tools that serve business operations. But too often, the people building the tools and the people using them aren't speaking the same language. They don’t always share the same understanding of the problem, or of what the solution needs to achieve.
When Iteration Becomes a Distraction
You may have heard something like, “We don’t need to solve it all now—we’ll iterate our way there.”
That sounds reasonable. But what this often reveals is not a roadmap, but a lack of clarity about end-user needs. Iteration is a powerful method - but only when it’s built on a foundation of real insights, clear goals, and a shared vision of success.
Without these, iteration can become a cycle of motion without progress. Time and energy get spent polishing solutions to misunderstood problems. If the end goal hasn’t been defined or a path forward mapped, we risk iterating the effort into the ground.
"It’s Just One Tool" (Until It Isn't)
In today’s digital workplaces, we are surrounded by tools, sometimes so many that even users don’t know where to find them or which to use. It’s easy to create one more “little tool” to fill a gap, but this can quickly lead to fragmentation and confusion.
Instead of thinking in terms of single solutions, we need to design intentional tool ecosystems. Think modular platforms with clearly scoped access for specific user roles and tasks. Stack tools in a user-centric way that aligns with how people actually work, and you build not just tools but an infrastructure for clarity and impact.
Why UX/UI Design Matters. Even Internally
It’s common to hear that developers or tech leads already understand what needs to be built. But building something that works isn't the same as building something that works well for users.
That’s where UX and UI design shine. A UX designer translates complexity into clarity, structure, and flow. They bring an understanding of accessibility, usability, layout, and interaction. They help ensure that what gets built isn’t just functional, but intuitive, scalable, and truly valuable.
Their presence brings balance and depth to technical discussions, and raises the odds of getting things right the first time.
And Then, There’s AI
We can’t ignore the impact of AI. As it becomes easier and faster to spin up new tools and interfaces, it's more important than ever to stay aligned with real problems. Technology should support meaningful progress, not distract us from it.
Let’s not bury ourselves in tools we don’t need. Instead, let’s stay intentional and metric-driven about how we choose and design our solutions.
From Fragmentation to Focus
The goal is not to slow down development, it’s to build the right thing, the right way, from the start. That begins with alignment: on user needs, business outcomes, and how we’ll measure success.
When teams understand the real problem, define goals together, and collaborate effectively, iteration becomes a powerful tool. But we can’t rely on iteration alone to uncover clarity. That work must come first.
When Iteration Truly Works
Iteration is gold when:
Collaboration is open and direction is clearly defined
Curiosity about user needs is real and shared
Roles and responsibilities for decision-making are clear
UX design is seen as a core contributor, not an afterthought
The big picture is understood across the team
And especially in in-house tool development: co-creation with users is the rule, not the exception
If you're surrounded by the people you're building for, that’s a unique advantage, use it. Involve them early. Test ideas together. The more upfront clarity you create, the faster and more effectively you’ll move forward.
Try a Workshop Before Your Next Build
If you’re facing complexity, misalignment, or a backlog of tools that don’t quite work together, consider running a workshop. A Product Strategy workshop, Design Sprint or similar format can help surface root problems, generate ideas, and build shared understanding across roles.
Even if you're not building a product in the traditional sense, this approach works beautifully for internal tools and systems, especially when adapted to your team's unique context.
Final Thought
Design isn't just about tools. It’s about focus. And the earlier we align around real needs, the more likely we are to build something truly valuable.
Let’s move from iteration as a fallback, to iteration as a force multiplier.
Want help getting out of the iteration spiral?
If you're building internal tools, juggling team opinions, or just feeling stuck, I’d love to help. I work with teams to make sure the right people are in the room, the real problems are on the table, and the path forward is clear (and actually exciting).
Whether it’s a one-off workshop or a deeper collaboration, let’s make sure your next steps are the right ones, without wasting time going in circles.
Come say hi at designlinking.no or drop me a message on LinkedIn. Let’s build something that works.