RGE Design

Put this question into google and you will get many different answers, from the design being useful to the aesthetics of the design. The truth is good design is hard to define with words. What a person sees as being good design is unique to them. We can try to set expectations and boundaries on what makes good design but people will almost always disagree on what they think.

One thing everyone can agree on with good design, is that it results in a product being able to fulfil the purpose it was designed for. However, a product can fulfil its purpose and still be seen as a bad design.

The crux of the matter is that we are probably more able and more likely to pick out bad design than appreciate good design.

There are a few qualities that we can say absolutely contribute to good design.

Intuitive design

A product designed so that a user understands how to use it without need for instruction. This is important as designs which the user struggles to make work often gets left in a drawer or cupboard and forgotten about. It also create frustration in the user and therefore, the users opinion of the design is negative.

Minimal interaction

This isn’t the case for everything as some products are designed to be interacted with. What I mean with minimal interaction is that products which have a seemingly unnecessary amount of steps required to make it work often cause frustration in a user. How many times have you had a product which incorporates a seemingly unnecessary step or where you have to move something just to do the next action?

Aesthetics

Looks are important in design, think about the things you buy, I’m sure you’ll often find yourself considering something based on the aesthetics of the design. We often buy and crave products based on how they will fit in our homes and in our lives resulting in us paying more for something that looks nicer or fits in better.

Longevity

Products that last are more sought after and people are willing to spend more on them. Why? Because it saves them in the long run. Long-lasting products are also better for the environment and tend to use better quality materials.

Innovative

Good design often brings something new to the market, be it a brand new product or even using technology in a new way or just using new technologies.

Hidden

What do I mean by hidden? It means that good design is unobtrusive, it doesn’t stand out for negative reason and it fits into a users life so well they don’t recognise it as good design. But, I will concede and say that not all good design is overt, some is so good that it can’t be missed.

Conclusion

Each of these factors above are just that, factors. They all help to contribute to good design. The most important factor in good design, I believe, is that the product has been designed entirely with the user in mind.

Why?

Because without a user there is no buyer. If you don’t design for your user, then you can’t expect your design to work nor can it meet the needs of your user.