Thoughts2026 · 03 · 3 min read
The 10% that makes it feel real
The gap between working and finished is small, visible, and worth every minute.
A build can be functionally done and still feel like a draft. The difference lives in the last ten percent: the easing curve, the empty state, the focus ring, the way a card lifts under the cursor.
Users never see your architecture. They feel your last ten percent.
- Design the empty, loading and error states — not just the happy path.
- Pick one easing curve and use it everywhere.
- Make focus visible; keyboard users are users.
- Sweat the copy — microcopy is interface.
It's the least glamorous work and the most noticed. I try to leave time for it on purpose, because it's usually what people remember.