Trying to be all things dilutes and muddies a clear purpose. Failing to draw boundaries pulls you back from the edges of possibility and innovation.
Sure, you can do a lot with a Swiss Army knife and duct tape, but they probably aren’t the best solution to the problem you’re trying to solve.
Defining what something isn’t helps us better understand and design for what it is.
“What’s it not for? If the purpose is this and not this, how would it change? What would we add to and what would we subtract?”
Getting clear and specific about what something isn’t helps us better see what it is. It opens our eyes to the edges.
