Design With Love

3 mins

"Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future." - Robert L. Peters

Design is the art and science of finding the right solution to the right problem. It's both aesthetic and functional. It communicates and fosters understanding. It's a part of who we are.

The Right Solution

The right solution solves your problem nicely and neatly; it feels like love. When the design is right, you can sense that someone cared. They put their heart and soul into making it good. It's a great feeling that makes you feel that you matter and deserve good things in life. A bad design makes you feel otherwise.

The Wrong Problem

Finding the right problem is as crucial as finding the right solution for design success. Many designs—whether a product, service, or system—fail not only because they don't solve the problem. Oftentimes, they rightly solve, but the wrong problem. They may be great, but not quite useful.

Fail, To Learn

So, how do you find the right problem? By trying to solve it and failing repeatedly. Design is an iterative process; most of the time, you only see the problem more clearly when you have attempted a few solutions or partially solved it. The designer and the user must work together to learn through this process.

First, gather all the information about the problem, then devise a plan or an idea. You should come up with a few different ideas—think of these as drafts, sketches, or demos, something that can be discarded. This prototype should be specific and as minimal as possible.

If you can communicate and articulate the problem and the prototype clearly—by writing it down, making a diagram, or even drawing—you’re ready for the next step.

Test, Test, Test

Test it! With real users in real environments as closely as possible (if it's safe to do so; e.g., please don't test your prototype with a live nuclear reactor). After each iteration, you will gain insights into what does and doesn't work, and whether you're hitting the right target. Take that feedback to improve your prototype, and try again. Rinse and repeat with incremental development until you arrive at the right design.

With Love and Care

Many designs look clever and exceptional, making you wonder that only a great mind could solve such a complex puzzle. In fact, you don't have to be smart; you have to care. You must care enough to go through countless cycles of failure. Even smart people won't be successful if they fear failure. The more you care, the more likely you'll go the distance to serve, with care and love, the needs of users, the audience, or whoever, and find the best solution.

Design is human. It's what we do to make our lives better, for now and for the future. Keep designing, keep loving.

Be kind, be happy.