How Dieter Rams’ 10 Principles of Good Design can impact UX
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Dieter Rams has changed the way I practice UX. Rams kept principles of sustainability in mind by designing timeless products. Over the years this has resonated with me. Having watched ‘The Light Bulb Conspiracy’: a documentary on planned obsolescence; and ‘The Story of Stuff’ by Annie Leonard on how thoughtless mass consumerism is killing the planet, I have since attempted to integrate sustainable practices in my own way of living.
What I love about Rams is that he deliberately designed his products to be long lasting, to not go out of style, to not age prematurely. These design considerations led him to asking “Is my design good design?”. To keep his designs consistently good, he developed 10 Principles of Good Design. These are as relevant today as when Rams developed them, and particularly so in the age of UX. They are:
1. Good Design Is Innovative
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
2. 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 emphasises the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
3. Good Design Is Aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
4. Good Design Makes A Product Understandable
It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.
5. Good Design Is Unobtrusive
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
6. Good Design Is Honest
It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
7. Good Design Is Long-lasting
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years — even in today’s throwaway society.
8. Good Design Is Thorough Down to the Last Detail
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
9. Good Design Is Environmentally Friendly
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
10. Good Design Is as Little Design as Possible
Less, but better — because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
These principles went on to influence many designers for years to come, most notably, Jonathan Ive — Apple’s current chief design officer. Ive described Rams’ products as ‘surfaces that were without apology: bold; pure; perfectly-proportioned; coherent and effortless’. These inspirations and principles have clearly been communicated through Apple’s products, contributing to their successful legacy.
Similarly, Rams has influenced my own design practice in the sense that every design element is deliberate. This ties into one of Rams’ design principles: ‘Good design is as little design as possible’. When designing user interfaces, I strive to make them as simple as possible so the essential functions can be the main focus, disregarding anything that may distract the user from reaching their goal.
Rams’ most iconic quote “Less, but better”, focuses on stripping the product down to the bare essentials making the product honest and unobtrusive.
When I am designing, it is important to me that my design serves its purpose. For example while designing advanced analytics (AA). This involves taking complex data and translating it into simple and clear understandable visual representations. To do this, it is crucial to understand how people think and translate visual information, is it intuitive enough? Can I simplify it more? Is it pleasant to look at?
Conclusion
‘Good design makes a product useful’, and ‘Good design is aesthetic’ resonate with each other. A good product has to not only satisfy us with its functions and usability, but also psychologically. Additionally, consciously designed products with good aesthetics enhance our experience and affect our well-being. One should not exist without the other. Form follows function, form can be fun too!
Design is not just for any business or product, design is for the people…
