If you don't start with approximately the right destination, you're definitely never going to end up there, even if you have to take some detours and compromise on some choices.

It gets really frustrating reviewing people's designs at times, when it's crystal clear they're a) working backwards and b) haven't really considered the customer experience at all.

One of my favourite tell tale signs of a) is when the chosen option 100% fits the specifications, doubly so if there's no cons associated with the pros. Sometimes it's genuine, but very rarely.