What is Design?
Everybody and their siblings on twitter have probably witnessed some tech-related drama on their timeline at some point. We apologize.
But in case you are a new designer like me or just wondering what it’s all about in general (not the drama, Design itself), let me share a short briefing of what I’ve learnt so far on my journey.
Chapter 1: Design Thinking
Design is a multidisciplinary Field [ranging from Psychology to Business, to Statistics, to Visual Arts, to Engineering, to Architecture and many more] concerned with identifying user problems and then coming up with the best way(s) to solve them.
There are also several sub-fields in Design: such as Graphic, Motion, Visual, User Interface and many more. I shall try to speak more generally, but keep in mind that I am a Product Designer, and so the word “product” will likely come up probably two million times.
As a Designer, thought precedes action…always.
Regardless of field or specialty, you cannot make stuff up as you go, because Design is not Visual Arts. You are not Picasso and your product isn’t a blank canvas to freestyle on. Every single feature in your product must be guided by either Primary or Secondary Research.
It is better to take more time in designing a product or a solution, than to hurriedly launch it into disaster. Because in the real world, mistakes cost you money to fix. And I’m sure we all agree that when Expenditure is greater than Profit, that is called “Loss”. But even if you end up making more profit at the end of the day, making [avoidable] errors could lead to bad reviews, lower recommendation rate, or worst of all, cost you customers.
So how do you think like a Designer? Here’s what I’ve learnt:
- Good Design always includes some sort of problem-solving or efficiency increase. If you conceptualize solutions that meet user needs, you are a Designer essentially.
- The purpose of a product [or the features within the product] should always be clear. If your design isn’t intuitive enough, it defeats the purpose of making it in the first place, which was to solve a user problem. This could lead to frustration for the user and less usage of your product.
Practical example: Seats were designed for sitting, and not for, say, throwing [and you can easily tell because—not only is it extremely illegal to throw a chair at someone like a frisbee—chairs are heavy and simply not aerodynamic]. Regardless of variation in appearance or composition, it is usually obvious to identify a chair.
(“Are the functions of the features in my Product obvious? If no, how can I improve them?”, that is how Designers think)
3. Good Design is efficient.
If your product is intuitive to use, but not efficient in meeting a user’s needs, this could also lead to user frustration.
Practical example: If Car A (made in 2022) takes twice the amount of time and fuel it takes Car B (made in 2010) to get to a Destination, then Car A is clearly less efficient.
(See more on efficiency in Chapter 3)
Chapter 2: Accessibility & Futuristic Thinking
(Un)fortunately, it is usually the case that new problems arise after solving a previous one. But that is what makes Design interesting to me, there is always something to make better—especially wheelchairs. I know, weird segue.
But say for example, a person on a regular wheelchair wants to climb up a slope: well, except they are as jacked as Chris Hemsworth, they would not be able to make it uphill using their bare hands to roll the wheels, would they? You might have managed to solve the problem of general mobility for disabled people [which is one giant leap for mankind, yes] but your product still excludes a lot of potential users.
Here a new problem of terrain arises. How do you solve it? You add a motor to the wheelchair for assisted acceleration. Problem solved.
Or maybe not. How does a wheelchair user, rapidly approaching the speed of light as they go downhill, stop?! You forgot to add brakes?! Oho.
Another example could be how designating spaces for disabled people on a Train or Bus without creating ramps for them to get in, is useless. You could come up with the most brilliant solution to a problem ever, but if [certain] users cannot access that solution, then you might have just created physical or digital trash.
(Disclaimer: No one was harmed in these imaginary scenarios.)
Chapter 3: Efficiency & Design Thinking
Good Design solves the user’s problem. Which is great.
But Better Design is not only more inclusive, it takes potential problems that certain users could face while experiencing your product into account, in addition to solving their initial problem.
This could involve making use of and combining pre-existing solutions to solve a potential problem, or innovating a new solution altogether.
Sometimes though, the best and most efficient solutions aren’t always the newest or most complicated.
Again this is easier to see with a wheelchair:
In 1485 AD, Leonardo da Vinci could have attached horses to pull a wheelchair uphill, and the whole of Europe would have exploded in awe at the sheer brilliance of the innovation.
But in 2022, selling a horse in-addition to a regular wheelchair, when humans have already been to the moon, would be downright silly and, most importantly, inefficient. Because not only aren’t Horses not allowed inside most buildings, Horses are quite noisy and need food and shelter too. No shade to Horses.
In summary, Great Design involves solving user problems as efficiently, as intuitively, and as inclusively as possible.
TL;DR
- Good Design solves user problems.
- Good Design is intuitive.
- Good Design is efficient.
- Good Design is inclusive.
