Most people who have worked with me up to this point have probably noticed that I have a strong urge to think about solving problems using Design methods and methodologies. This is not accidental. In my heart of hearts, I believe that the work I do each day will help make the world a better place…not through the success of particular technologies or companies, but through human interactions aided by supportive tools. The only way this will happen is with a healthy dose of good Design. With this in mind, I’d like to pass on the most important thing I learned in my post-graduate education: The Seven Themes of Good Design.
I think about these themes often, and am indebted to a great educator, mentor and friend for teaching me these oft-forgotten ideas.
Without further ado, Good Design is all of the following:
- Is user-centered, not machine-centered – That’s right folks. The name of the game is people, not machines. It’s about helping people to do what they would likely do anyway, only to help them do it better. And also to allow people to do things they never dreamed possible. Either way, good design is about people, not the tools that get them there.
- Employs the computer as a transparent medium – Ideally, a person never even notices the computer, it just fades into their normal flow. Every Interaction Designer should know that if a user makes a remark about the UI, then the designer has failed in some way.
- Creates computer imaginative interactions – Good design takes full advantage of the medium upon which it is built. In our era of technology, we should be using the computer in ways that people only a few years ago would never have dreamed of, not just the next logical way. Desktop computing? Probably not for long. Ubiquitous computing? Coming sooner than you think.
- Provides for ease of learning – A well designed tool is easy to learn. It may be complex, but initial use should be possible without a training course. This cannot be understated.
- Entails continual redesign – A good design is never “done.” As is recognized in the agile development community, software tools continually evolve, because people and their environments are ever-changing. Designers constantly see room for improvement in their prior work.
- Is more craft than art – Design isn’t some mystical, magical world. It can be learned and taught, but doing so requires a lot of work of both teacher and student. Some people are simply gifted artists at birth. Most great designers have honed their skills over time.
- Always involves tradeoffs – There will always be something that would make a design better, but could not be included because of a particular constraint. Always.
- *
And there you have it. The Seven Themes of Good Design. Credit goes to Marty Siegel. The most influential lesson I’ve received in my professional career, and the basis of my Design Philosophy.
* There is an eighth theme of good Design, I’ll have you know. That one is a bit of a secret, though. If you’re interested in learning about the most important theme, you’ll have to ask me about it. I’ll be glad to share, but the only way to do it is face to face.
