Guide by a Beginner for a Beginner
Design and what is a “good design”
12 Examples of Good and Bad Designs from my Surroundings.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs
When we think of “Design” we usually mistake it with thinking that Design is what a product looks like, but Design is much more than just how the product looks.
I] So, What is a DESIGN?
Design, according to me, is “Anything and Everything that can solve a problem so that it can serve its purpose without complicating users life, and can exert maximum leverage without loosing the aesthetics.”
Example: Let’s Consider Birds, they have wings to fly, but the problem is, wings may not be sufficient to for them to fly properly at higher altitudes. Beaks, having pointed ends which cuts through the air particles helps them to fly high, with maximum speed and keep proper balance, i.e. serving it’s function without any complication. It is used for multipurpose uses like catching preys', picking objects, self-defense , building nests , which provides maximum leverage without loosing it’s aesthetics.
II] What is a “Good Design”
I recently studied about the famous “10 Principles for Good Design”, by a well known German Industrialist and Functional designer “Dieter Rams”. All the 10 points that he mentioned were explained in an extremely easy and simple way, just as a Design should be “Easy to understand” by not creating any unnecessary confusion.
These are few key points that I gathered from his principles:
- Good Design may not always look good but Aesthetic.
- Good Design is easily Understandable.
- Good Design Lasts Longer.
- Good Design makes life Easier and not Complicated.
- Good Design is Simple but Significant.
- Good Design can solve any problem.
- Good Design is Useful, Thoughtful and Accurate.
- Good Design is Truthful.
- Good Design is Balanced.
- Good Design is Multipurpose.
- Good Design is Environment friendly at a certain aspect.
- Good Design is Fulfilling.
- Good Design is Exciting and Satisfying.
III] Examples of Good and Bad Designs from my Surroundings:
Let’s Begin with a Good Design,
- Waist Bags
I know, I am not the only girl who struggles to find jeans with perfect pockets. All the necessary stuff we need to carry but no place to keep it!! Just like every other girl, I was also one of the victim for this injustice. But I was not the only one who was frustrated by this Issue but the people in my surroundings too, I was more than Happy when one of my Guy friend gifted me a Waist Bag, which was a perfect solution to my problem.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It is Thoughtfully created , has total 3 big compartments that can carry all the necessary stuff from Mobile, Masks, keys, Wallet/Money, to a bottle of Sanitizer, but still it does not bulge out.
- It has adjustable straps making it possible to wear it in Multiple Styles ( around waist, across the body ) and also by people of different sizes.
- It can be used by everyone irrespective of their gender, age, height and weight.
- It keeps your belongings super close to your body ensuring Safety.
- It is Flexible, suits every dressing style.
- It does not engage any body part in order to carry it, i.e. your hands can be Free and who doesn’t like Freedom, right??
- It can also be used as a Belt when your pants are slightly too big.
- It is Durable, Cheap and Fashionable, I own this bag since 1 year now and it still looks as good as when I first got it. Priced at only 500 rs I consider this Bag as the most beneficial and efficient belonging I have.
2. Wardha News App
This app is a Classic example of How a Bad Design looks!! “ Wardha News”, this app is basically made for users to get latest News updates from wardha. It has all the information it requires but it has failed terribly in serving users a good User Interface as well as User Experience. As, you can see in the above video while scrolling a lot of things are happening that is complicating the user experience plus the Navigation Bar is not stable i.e. it should stick to its place when scrolling. User has to use up and down motion several times to make it appear at the right place as shown in the video.
The User Interface is at its worst. The Design is not clean and balanced, The placement of objects, the icons and typography used in the navigation bar are not uniform. All these factors makes this Design a Awful design.
Why is it a Bad Design?
- Design is Obtrusive.
- Icons and Typography is not uniform.
- Placement of Object is not Balanced.
- Design is not user-friendly.
- It is not a useful design.
- It is a Complicated Design.
All these factors make the design a Bad and unusable product with worst Ui and Ux.
3. Bharni’: Modern day Pickle Jars
Being a child who loves playing Games like Ghar-Ghar, i was always excited to play with utensils that looked Ancient and Unique. Showing you a Classic example of one of many such utensils that I am attracted to and are a piece of Art for me.
This Bharni always was just an ancient looking Pickle Jar for me until one day when my Grandma told me How amazingly this piece was made, she told me “This Bharni’s were actually used in Colonial Period by British people for the Transportation of Chemicals such as Sulphuric Acid, nitric acid and other chemicals needed as manure on indigo, cotton and sugar plantations. These containers, being Antiseptic, sturdy and non-reactive to acids, are used to store Pickles by Indians, they can also be called Old times Fridge, and they are designed in such a way that they can be easily transported via a Bullock Cart, or even a Cycle”, Listening to this i keenly observed the Jars ,the arrow that is indicating a Curve in the picture above, is helpful to tie a rope across the jar and then it can be secured by tying it around the other static object. They are made with “Porcelain” (China Clay) that keeps the matter inside in a proper temperature (people used to surround them with cold and wet cloth for a chilling effect) and making it really strong overall. These Bharni’s are around 150 years old but are still fashionable, useful, strong, and fashionable.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It is Durable.
- It serves the purpose.
- It can be reused multiple times, once cleaned.
- It can be used for multiple purpose.
- It is environment friendly.
- It is fashionable and aesthetic, also a piece of art for me.
- It is a thoughtful, accurate, Balanced and useful.
- Design can be easily understood, not at all complicated.
- It is fulfilling and exciting design.
4. Activa Scooty
As i mentioned above “Good Design should solve a problem without creating any other complication.” This Activa scooty model is the perfect example to prove this statement correct.
This model of Activa failed to provide Comfortable experience to the users. In order to provide a additional storage compartment they compromised the users comfort, also limiting its users as people with longer heights or legs may feel discomfort and pain, even for people with short height it is not the Best design because in order to keep their legs away from touching the storage compartment the have to slide back on the seat which increases the height at which they are sitting, making it unsafe for them to ride the vehicle. This is the exact representation of how to not complicate users life. As a result, this model failed terribly and is not manufactured anymore.
Why is it a Bad Design?
- It is not a user friendly design.
- It causes discomfort and irritation.
- It does not ensure safety.
This is why we say “ Less Design is More Design”
5. Kamandalu
Not many of you would be knowing what a Kamandalu is, but you must have seen it in movies, Now a days, used for storing cremated ashes and holy water by Hindu ascetics, therefore it is also called as a Hindu symbol for asceticism. At my house it was kept as a Showpiece because of the Solitary and Ancient look it has.
Ladies and Gentlemen this is what a Perfect design looks like!! My Great Grandma was from Kashi Varanasi, she bought this Kamandalu’s in my family. Earlier 200+years ago, these were majorly used to store raw food material such as sugar, rice, wheat etc. This Kamandalu’s are made up brass or copper. These Kamandalu’s shown in the picture above are around 120+ years old but they still have their Shine On.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It is Durable.
- It is a perfect combination of Form and Function
- It is User friendly, Balanced, Thoughtful and Accurate Design.
- It is Eco-friendly.
- Easy and Simple and Efficient Design.
- It is easy to clean and travel.
- It can be used of Multiple purpose.
It resembles the most efficient object designed in India “Lota”, I call it an Upgraded version of Lota. Indeed a Design every designer should be inspired from.
6. Uncomfortable Wooden Chair
This Chair is an example of how a single incorrect placement of object can deplete the use of product.
This chair mentioned below was made by my grandfather, it has been 35+ years and is still one of the strongest chair i have at my home. It just has one incorrect placement which makes it fail its functionality. The additional part on the chair used for decoration makes its usability scarce, I don’t feel comfortable or relaxed while sitting on it, instead I feel pain, which must not be the case.
Why is it a Bad Design?
- Does not serve its functionality.
- Lacks Usability, Accuracy and Thoughtfulness.
- The Design Causes Discomfort.
- It is not User-friendly.
7.Sanitizer Stand
I have always believed that Creativity can solve any problem and Indians have always been in the Top List when considering Problem Solving with the help of Creativity, In India we term it as “JUGAAD”(Hack), it is a quality that lives in every Indian, from a Housewife to a Businessman everyone owns this life trait.
Amidst the Pandemic, we all have come across numerous Good and Bad Designs. One of the most Useful Design turned out to be the “Sanitizer Stand” It is simply made to serve its only purpose i.e. contactless sanitization, without adding any complexity in it, ensuring 100% safety and satisfaction of the user.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It is Easy to access.
- The Design is most accurate, useful and thoughtful.
- Design is Simple and Aesthetic, easily understandable.
- It is Cost Efficient.
- It is a problem solver without creating any complications.
- Ensures safety.
- It is long lasting.
- It is a Exciting Design.
All these factors are why I proudly say Indian Jugaads are the best and can solve any problem.
8. Wired Mouse
According to my understanding of a Design. An ideal design is the one that functions perfectly without creating any other problems in a users life.
This is the mouse, shown above, that I use on my Laptop is an example of a Bad Design. It serves the purpose but creates a lot of Disturbance while working with it, making it clumsy and disadvantageous.
Why is it a Bad Design?
- It is Difficult to use, Uncomfortable and Complicated.
- Consumes a lot of unnecessary space.
- Creates a chaos on the work space.
- It is not user friendly.
- It can make the user frustrated and angry while using it.
- It looks Obtrusive and creates unnecessary friction.
- It is unpleasant design.
All the points mentioned above in making wired mouse a Bad Design, which serves the purpose but create a mayhem while using it, making the user Angry and Frustrated.
9. Venus Snap Razor
In this world full of Perfectionist, the user demands have skyrocketed, which has made it essential for Designers to design a product that satisfies the user in every aspect.
Observing this product, I strongly believe that this is how a overall product should be made, right from the packaging to its usability and benefits, everything is just perfect.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It functions perfectly.
- It is user friendly.
- It is portable (travel-friendly), packaging is perfect and durable.
- It is easy to use and store.
- It has floating blades that are spaced closely together for reduced pressure per blade, ensuring extra safety.
- It has a Technology that helps avoid irritation as there is a thick cushion between the razor and your skin, making it usable on sensitive skin types also.
- It looks attractive and exciting to use.
10. Interaction Buttons on a Treadmill
An Unbalanced design can cause stress and discomfort to a user.
The Placement of objects in a Design plays a vital role in making a Design a Good and Successful Design. Bad and Unbalanced placement of Object can make the user uncomfortable and frustrated, Just like How i feel while interacting with the Buttons on the Treadmill shown below.
Why is it a Bad Design?
- The Design is not comfortable to Interact with.
- The Interface is inconsistent, as the button named “Smart” is not to be operated by the users, it is unnecessarily placed, A good design eliminates all the elements that are not helping a user or are not meant for the user for operations.
- The Button to Start and Stop the machine should have been the Main Focus.
- The position of buttons should be reversed because the buttons that are frequently used by a user should be easily accessible which is clearly not the case in this machine. The “+” button is difficult the access unless you are left-handed person.
- Design is not user-friendly.
- It is not made thoughtfully.
- It lacks uniformity, the Buttons that are to be used to increase the speed are splitted, one of them is in right while the other three are placed completely opposite.
- It is confusing, and complicated.
- Overall Design unpleasant and unaesthetic.
- It lacks usability and is intolerant.
11. Where is my Train App
Every Human, be it from any region of the world, who has travelled in trains has always wished for a technology that could track the progress of their travel without having to peek from the train’s door or the window, risking their safety.
Luckily, Now we have such a technology that has solved this problem. There are many application and sites in the market that provides this service, One of the best app to provide this service is “Where is my train” app, I immediately got attached to this app after my very 1st use. As you can see in the video It works smoothly ,is super easy to understand, works efficiently and also provides many additional features, making the user experience the best one.
Why is it a Good Design?
- It is user-friendly.
- It functions perfectly.
- It can be used for multiple purpose.
- It is easy to understand.
- It looks aesthetic.
- It is not obtrusive.
- It is makes users life easy.
- It is a useful, thoughtful and an accurate design.
- It is properly Balanced.
- It is fulfilling and satisfies users demands.
- It has excellent user experience.
12. Board Sign
Proper Alignment and Balance is a MUST.
When i came across this board i instantly felt discomfort because of the bad alignment. I just felt like correcting it. I mean, don’t you feel the same??
Why is it a Bad Design?
- Improper Alignment.
- Design is not Balanced.
- Object Placement is improper, which causes discomfort.
- Design is not Clean.
From all the research ,observation and learning , I discovered that While designing, Designer must think empathetically and should have a flexible mindset. Should always consider to find the easiest possible way to solve a problem.
