Design Is The Least Important Part of Design

Ok, yes, the title is intentionally misleading. A more accurate title might be ‘visual design is the least important part of product design’. But the obscurity of the definition of design is actually the point.

In the past few years, the design industry has exploded. Roles which were simply referred to as ‘graphic’ or ‘web’ design in the past have transformed into the delineation of dozens of specialties. Included in this list is probably the most debated of all, ‘user-experience design’, which in many cases, does not refer to design in the traditional sense at all.

When you ask someone what they think design is, the commonly held narrative is that design refers to picking pretty colours and shapes, or slapping a coat of paint on top of something.

If you are currently thinking “well actually, design is the combination of all the elements, from high level conceptual consideration all the way through to tiny visual details.”, well then you would be absolutely correct. But the delegation of this responsibility can often be unclear and lines between roles can become blurred, especially when egos get involved.

I will reference ‘design’ and ‘designer’ numerous times through this article so I will clarify my definition as referring to ‘visual design’ and ‘visual designer’.

The more experienced you become as a designer, the more you realize that design is much less the execution of any individual task and much more the facilitation of the right ideas, questions and processes that are able to strip ideas down to their absolute core.

If you are very good at what you do, you may question so deeply the value of a project that, in some cases, you question the necessity of it to even exist.

The hallmarks of a good designer are empathy and attention to detail. When it comes to products, good design comes from the result of a good process. A good process starts by asking the right questions. A good process is considerate to the user’s journey. Or in other words, the user’s experience.

User experience is a difficult thing to explain. In ‘The Design of Everyday Things’, Don Norman defines UX as: “a person’s emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system or service. User experience includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership.”

The line between user-experience and visual design has blended over the past few years to the point where it can be difficult to know where it is even drawn.

At our agency, we have defined the user-experience designer as someone who backs up their hypotheses with data. Our visual designers are the traditional kind — they are the ones who apply the pretty colours and shapes, but as is plain to see by my sarcastic definition, this is the definition of a designer without much regard for their profession.

It brings up an interesting debate though, because if that is the clear delineation of the roles, then where does the true value of visual design come from?

“I have found that all ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and that all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful.” ― Oscar Wilde

Let us examine this list by Dieter Rams of the meaning of good design.

The noticeable thing about this list is that only one of the ten items refers to anything visual.

The importance of a strong visual design should not be understated, but a good visual design should be table stakes. I have worked in numerous agencies featuring no shortage of designers with the ability to make things pretty. This skillset is far from the main determinant of a project’s success.

Beauty without substance is empty. Empty beauty comes when people are focused on their individual task rather than the over-arching goal of the project. It comes when people are afraid to ask difficult questions. Questions like, “what value is this providing?” “Is this even necessary at all?” Questions like these can be difficult to ask because, at times, the answer can come at the expense of your contribution or even involvement on the project.

As difficult as it is to do, it is undoubtedly important work. Even if it means that it forces the client to re-evaluate the strategic direction of the project, or in some cases, the entirety of it. This approach also demands team members at every level to take on a level of accountability and ownership that transcends their individual role.

“Marketing is our quest to make change on behalf of those we serve, and we do it by understanding the irrational forces that drive each of us.” ― Seth Godin, This Is Marketing

This quote gets to the heart of any good product, and works under the assumption that the product is being designed to serve.

This idea of serving a specific need demonstrates the importance of deeply understanding the user journey that is required to facilitate this need. It also points to the conclusion that the functionality of the product is paramount to its usefulness. At the end of the day, the prettiness is just a bonus.

You can have a great product without a pixel-perfect visual design. But you cannot have a great product without a considerate user journey, and well executed development.

It is not a particularly hot take after all. But it questions the value and prioritization of certain aspects of the ‘design’ process over others.

Because as pervasive as this line of thinking may be, convincing not only clients, but many designers the value of user experience over visual design is still a challenge.

These days, where appearances can seem to be everything, everybody wants a product that looks the part. They want a project that’s beautiful. But the perception of that beauty is subjective, and for most, true beauty comes from usefulness.

As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve and transform, it’s becoming more important than ever for clients and designers alike to embrace the user journey. To accept the messiness of the design process. To foster collaboration and leverage unique skillsets to facilitate and serve rather than to earn praise. We must strive to embrace imperfection, continually question the value of the things we create, and always place those that we serve at the heart of every decision we make.