Understanding Design

I spend a lot of time thinking about design and stuff related to design. Recently I’ve spent quite a lot of time trying to understand what design actually is.

Designers make stuff. More to the point, designers make things of value for a purpose. There’s a reason why you’re creating something, it’s not just a form of self expression otherwise known as art. As a designer, it’s your job to create a solution.

The solution you produce is a product of aesthetics and functionality. The aesthetics of the solution are what the user first notices, aesthetics form a large part of the user’s first impression of a product and that first impression is difficult to change.

Not only should your product look beautiful, but its aesthetics should also indicate who and what it’s for. More than anything, design is about visual communication. If you put a moleskine next to a cheap notebook with flowers on it, you can tell which one is aimed at a professional and you can take a good guess at the type of stuff that’s going to be inside.

So aesthetics are really important, especially if you want your users to trust you and like your product, but they’re not the only thing that matters. Yes, believe it or not, your product actually has to benefit its user in some way, it has to do something. The functional side of the product is what makes it useful, without it the product is incomplete.

So stop designing photoshop mockups and claiming your job is done, rawr.