Good design and bad design: examples from my daily life

Good and bad design from an individual’s perspective

What is a design?

A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product or process. The design usually has to satisfy certain goals and constraints, may take into account aesthetic, functional, economic, or socio-political considerations, and is expected to interact with a certain environment.

It’s said that the word “design” comes from the Latin word “designare”. Designare is said to have meant to draw a plan. However the meaning of the word “design” has changed over the years gradually. Designs are made based on the requirements of the users and to solve real-time problems. Design is everywhere, around us and in us.

What makes a design good or bad?

Good design makes a product useful. A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

Bad design is one which is not easy to understand, distracting, difficult to use and short lived. As I started seeing objects around me in a design perspective, I realised that it is easy to identify good designs in comparison to bad designs.

Identifying good and bad designs

Dieter Rams ten principles can be used to identify good designs and differentiate between good and bad designs. They are,

•Good design is innovative.

•Good design makes a product useful.

•Good design is aesthetic.

•Good design makes a product understandable.

•Good design is unobtrusive.

•Good design is honest.

•Good design is long-lasting.

•Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

•Good design is environmentally-friendly

•Good design is as little design as possible

Good Designs:

Here are a few examples of good design that I have come across in my daily life or surroundings. I have chosen both physical and digital products.

1. Stapler

A stapler is one of those products that is simple and a handy tool. It is a good design as it is easy to understand, simple, long lasting, easy to use and useful. It is intuitive and needs no prior training, however care as to be taken while using one of these. It serves the purpose it is designed for in an efficient way.

2. Scissor

Who hasn’t used a scissor? Scissors are one of the most commonly used basic tool. Scissors are one of those tools that are simple and efficient. A Scissor is a good design as it is simple, easy to understand and use, it is unobtrusive in nature and serves the purpose it is designed for in an efficient way. It needs no prior training to understand its functioning, however care has to be taken while using one of these.

3. Wallet

Wallets can be used to make a style statement and enhance the personality, however the most important use is to keep money and other documents organized and safe.

A wallet is a good design as it is simple in design, easy to understand and use, unobtrusive and the overall design makes it useful. Wallets can be used to store cash, cards and other documents in an organized way easily. It is a handy and a useful product that needs no prior training or knowledge to use, making it an intuitive product.

4. Redbus

Redbus is website used for booking bus tickets online. It provides a quick and easy way to book bus tickets online.

It is a good design as it is simple, easy to understand and use, unobtrusive and a useful product. Users can easily search for available bus services by entering the date of travel and place they want to travel to. They can then book the tickets online making it an easy and a seamless experience for booking bus tickets online.

5. Swiggy Genie

Swiggy’s Genie service allows users to deliver or receive items like lunch boxes, documents, laundry and other materials from one location to another within a city. It is a good design as it is easy to understand and use, honest, unobtrusive and serves the purpose. Users can easily select the pick up and drop locations and the type of article or item they’re trying to send. It even displays the cost for the service, making it convenient for the user.

Bad Designs:

Here are a few examples of bad design that I have come across in my daily life or surroundings. I have chosen both physical and digital products.

1. Steel Locks of Weight Lifting Bars

Steel locks used for holding weight plates in weight lifting bars. This is a bad design as it does not serve the purpose it is made for. The locks get loosened once the user starts lifting the weights. The product does not serve the primary purpose it is made for, it is not honest and can also cause harm to the user if it fails to perform it’s intended function.

2. Surgical Mask

Face masks have played an important role during the Covid-19 pandemic. It helps to reduce the spread of the virus and along with other preventive measures. However, not all masks protects the user from the virus and this is one such mask. I tried blowing air through it and the air could easily penetrate the mask. It is marketed as a “3 layer” mask but it’s not able toserve the purpose it is made for. Hence it is a bad design as it is not honest and does not perform the intended function of protecting the user from the virus.

3. Two Wheeler Fuel Lid

The fuel lid of a few motorcycles lack the hinge mechanism to hold the fuel lid in place. The user has to remove the fuel lid and hold it in his hand every time he goes for refuelling the bike which is frustrating and annoying. Hence it is a bad design from my perspective. The fuel lids can have a hinge that would hold it in place with the fuel tank, making it easy and convenient for the users while they’re refuelling their two wheelers.

4. Wynk Music

Wynk music app is an online music streaming app. It lets users add individual songs to queue but doesn’t allow removing individual songs from the queue. The only option the user has is to clear all the songs from the queue and hence it is a bad design as it is inconvenient for the user and not useful.

5. RTO Vehicle Information Website

I came across a website that promised to display vehicle information on entering my vehicle registration number. After entering the vehicle registration number, the website redirected me to another page, asking me to download the app for viewing the details. This is annoying and frustrating. It is a bad design as the website isn’t honest, misleading and does not serve the purpose it is made for. It wasn’t useful and the experience was annoying.

These were a few everyday examples of good design and bad design that I have come across in my daily life or surroundings. I found plenty of such examples but chose to keep the best of the lot that I could best relate to. The idea behind this article of mine was to convey how the perception of an individual changes about design and that individual starts seeing design everywhere around him. Design is everywhere, around us and in us.

Thank you