Poetica’s manifesto for humane app design

There’s not much point doing anything if you don’t have a good idea of what you’re trying to achieve. That’s why we have a clear set of philosophies that guide everything we do at Poetica, that we keep in mind no matter what we’re putting together.

1.) Build what’s best for humans; not computers

We do the hard work behind the scenes to make things simple for you. We call this Human Centered Engineering. That’s why no matter how complex things get behind the scenes — and they get very complex! — the interface will remain as simple and intuitive as possible. You’ll never need a map to find your way around, we promise.

2.) Technology should do what you need; not dictate what you do

It can be incredibly frustrating when the limitations of software dictate what you’re able to do with your work, wasting time and energy as you’re forced to find a way around or to rethink your approach entirely. We build tools that get out of the way and let you do your thing. Brittle software gives you infinite features you have to learn how to use; we build limited features that are flexible enough to do whatever you need.

3.) Great collaboration is about great conversation

Mis-communication is a huge obstacle to an efficient, effective and relaxed working environment, but open, uninhibited conversation can produce great results. That’s why we build products to help you communicate about your work clearly and hassle-free, with specific features geared towards easily digestible and actionable feedback.

These points may seem very obvious, almost common sense, but having something to sanity check your decisions against is a really useful tool to keep you on the straight and narrow.

This story was originally posted on Poetica’s blog where there’s even more about how we work as a startup and think about what we’re building