I am certainly not a diamond afficionado, so to me, pretty much every diamond looks the same. I can tell if one’s bigger than another, but that’s about where my insight ends.
If you talk to someone who is passionate about diamonds, though, they can just look at one and tell you all about differences in cut, clarity, and brilliance. And then if you give them a diamond loupe (the magnifying glass that jewellers use – and yes, I did have to look that up…) to let them really examine the diamond, they’ll describe the inclusions, blemishes, and cracks.
A diamond that looks brilliant to me can, in fact, be near worthless after a real examination (relatively speaking, of course). Those blemishes and cracks that I can’t see can severely weaken the diamond, making it susceptible to breaking or splitting. In fact, if I were selecting a diamond by myself, I would probably pick the biggest and least expensive one that I could find – more BANG for my buck! But that diamond is also the one that is most likely to break after a couple of years of use.
So what’s the point, Randy?
Here’s what I’m driving at:
In life, we may not always notice the tiny, intimate details, but those details are often the most important ones.
In UX design, this might be the inclusion (see what I did there?) of a “back to top” button or the proper use of the golden ration. Most people would never point this out as a key element in the site, but it’s presence makes all the difference in the site.
In social media, this might be the simplest little comment – wishing Happy Birthday to a follower, or encouraging people to enjoy the beautiful day. It’s not a 50% off coupon that people are going share with everyone they know, but it IS a friendly gesture that shows that you care.
Has anyone ever given you a simple gesture that made a significant impact in your life?
