OK, I’m a reformed perfectionist, and there are times I still obsess over the smallest details. (In my own defense, my clients like that I fix their typos for them, so maybe obsession has a place…) But I love that the Web is a fluid medium, where changes are possible at any time, and that sites can be built a bit at a time.
In the world of print, when your project goes to press, you’re done. Whatever the results, you’re stuck with them (short of reprinting, of course). So the last moments before signing off on a press proof can be scary — it’s the last chance for changes.
The Web’s not that way. You can change things after launch. And you should expect to do so. I’m not talking about flat-out errors or gross design/usability failures here. Absolutely, do user testing on your designs, check for HTML or browser errors, and run the spell-checker before you publish anything. But don’t just launch and leave.
No matter how good your planning is, once you get the site in front of real users, you’ll learn things (if you’re paying attention, of course). If you’ve blown all your budget and time getting to launch, you’ll miss opportunities to react to user feedback.
So save some budget, time and FTEs for post-launch maintenance and growth — it’ll be worth it.
