Designing with Honesty
Enter Dreyfuss.
They had been married for 42 years. He loved his wife. They lived in South Pasadena at the time. She had liver cancer, treatments were just futile attempts postponing the inevitable. It was terminal. Their passion for each other was overcoming everything. She had endured the pain so far, but it was meaningless to suffer anymore. They went into their garage on October 5th, 1972. Sat next to each other in the car. They turned the ignition on.
Henry Dreyfuss, one of the most or in my personal opinion “the” greatest industrial designer ever to set foot on earth had chosen to end his life right there. He had vowed to walked the path with his partner to the end, and he kept that promise. Doris Marks Dreyfuss was 69. Henry was 68. Lifetime, dedicated to one another that is built upon one thing: honesty.
When the design is discussed, most people immediately think of shiny, glamorous objects that are made to be head-turning. They think of sleek lines, sharp edges, wavy materials. Shaping what is rigid, accomplishing the radical.
I am not involved in industrial design one way or another, I would love to but things just did not turn out that way for me. The concept of user interface especially in the context of software development is something I am more inclined to discuss.
Truth be told, I see it as a sub-topic of industrial design altogether. As I had mentioned in one of my previous articles, the design does not immediately communicate the purpose anymore in today’s world. We have mobile devices that are just screens. No hint or clue until it lights up. But that does not mean we need to reinvent the wheel (my favorite phrase in the design world).
We do not change
We have had the same capabilities both cognitively and physically for decades. Human anatomy remained the same, our physical restrictions, the way we perceive and take action are all the same.
Why do designers (yes you, on dribbble.) wander off the coast so much then? Because is it fun? Would you design a car with triangle wheels and no seats? Would that be fun or a good use of your time?
Dreyfuss, a designer; wrote a book called the measure of man.
Why would a designer care so much about human anatomy?
Because that is the designers’ job to consider the limitations and makeup of both the variables and the machinery that goes with it.
In the case of an automobile; This may include a human, who essentially is needed for the machine to be operable and function correctly. This variable could be a monkey, could even be an energy source or a type of input. Whatever it is, as a designer; it is paramount that all aspects are meticulously examined before designing the tool around it. The aim must be efficiency, effectiveness but not to the cost of unreliability. It should work every time, under most conditions and within reasonable tolerances. Even if it were to be defective, this defect should easily be compensated without depending on the variable. See where I am getting here?
Joe Spencer, mentions a peeler designed with humans of all sorts in mind.
The OXO Good Grips swivel peeler is a marvel of usability. It features a large, cushioned handle that won’t slip, even when wet. Its cutting blade swivels to allow use in both hands. It even has a built-in potato eyer! This swivel peeler was also designed with inclusivity in mind. It is made simply, only decorated in ways that serve the user. Its form intuits its function and it allows all users an equal experience and reasonable accommodation, without the need for additional change or modification.
Software design should not differ either. Just because it is happening on a computer screen, it should not become solely a graphics design job; whose operator is the eye and is a whole different area of expertise.
Software design is a full-blown design job with complex and intricate elements and even critical at times.
Soft-UI, neumorphism, skeuomorphism, flat, 3D whatever you name it, one must ask oneself: To what end am I struggling with this design?
The designer must communicate the purpose, features and the overall map of the device being put to use while also maintaining an artistic perspective.
I have been busy, I have wandered off to the application stores of both competitions and looked for modest, honest not so prominent and powerful apps. I wanted to see, how far could designers go without having a safety net. I wanted to see what semi-professionals could do rather than full-blown companies and huge teams.
Here is my list:
MinimaList on iPad
MinimaList — To do list & Task
Why I loved it: UI is sleek. It does have some learning curve but controls are intuitive once you used to them. It is straightforward, honest design.
Notebloc on Android
Notebloc Scanner App — Scan, save & share as PDF
Why I loved it: Utilitarian. It is brutally honest and saves the day straight out of the box. App has great quality and image processing power.
Simple Kegels on iPhone
Simple Kegels Exercise wherever you want
Why I loved it: This one is my absolute favorite. The app itself does not have much functionality but it is well thought out. One of the most NO-Bull. apps on the store. Launches immediately, displays categories and gets you going in a second. As straightforward and honest as it gets. Big buttons, two screens and animal emojis that is it.
