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Universal Principles of Modern Design
Age-old design principles that are very much alive today and playing an important role in shaping our thoughts in creating products for tomorrow
80/20 Rule
A high percentage of effects in any large system is often caused by a low percentage of variables.
Applying the 80/20 rule means identifying and focusing resources on the critical 20 percent. Focusing on aspects of a design beyond the critical 20 percent yields diminishing returns.
Example — Sony Walkman 1.0
During the production of first Sony Walkman in 1979, Sony purposely removed all the unnecessary functions of a music player — radio, recording function and even speakers which were standard features at that time, to focus on critical aspects of the product that people really wanted — Portability and Tape playback.
Use this rule to assess the relative value of elements, target areas of redesign and optimisation and allocate resources in an efficient manner.
Note: 80/20 is just an estimate. Actual percentages can be more or less, depending upon the projects (e.g. 70/30, 90/10).
