Worse is better can be used in areas such as software, design and project management to mean:

  • Quality does not necessarily increase by adding functions.
  • Less functionality ("worse") is often preferable in practical terms, and especially in terms of usability.
  • A design that is limited, but simple to use, may be more appealing to the user and market than software that is more comprehensive, but harder to use.

It was originally conceived by Richard P. GabrielW to describe software acceptance.

The phrase might be interpreted more broadly, as a warning on the dangers of perfectionism. Doing a "worse" job and getting it done is better than planning a perfect job and never launching.

External links[edit | edit source]

FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Authors Chris Watkins
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 3 pages link here
Impact 312 page views
Created November 21, 2009 by Chris Watkins
Modified March 2, 2022 by Page script
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.