Mistakes can lead to better design

Mistakes happen on every project. They can be disheartening on occasion where you can’t recover, but I look at them as opportunities for better design. Here’s an example.

I discovered an unforeseen problem while working on a prototype portable altar. The top portion tilts up allowing you to open the wings on the altar below, but I didn’t have the clearance. Big mistake!

The solution was to move the hinge, and as a result it fixed the main problem, as well as three other minor issues.

1. I was now able to open the wings.
2. It fixed the issue of the top assembly sticking out over the front (another miscalculation).
3. It allowed me to move the stop blocks to the back instead of on top, giving the altar a much cleaner look.
4. Using a piano hinge in the back allowed me to get rid of the ugly hinges that were showing on the top.

This is the learning curve that comes with building a prototype. You make mistakes and learn from them.