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Although I really dislike the look of Material (especially when used on websites), design systems like it allow us to create consistent user experiences across

by dpau 7y ago

Although I really dislike the look of Material (especially when used on websites), design systems like it allow us to create consistent user experiences across applications. They might not be ground-breaking in terms of the history of graphic design, but we care more about usability and accessibility. UI design is not progressing in Hegelian fashion towards a utopic ideal, but rather it is continuously adapting to new formats, devices, and environments. Much of design is concerned as much with limitations as it is possibilities. (Anyone remember 256-color web-safe palettes?) I'm not entirely sure what you are not happy with in modern design- that it is not static? The constant exploration of design possibilities on new platforms, from phones to VR, seems quite necessary and important to me...

reaperducer 7y ago
allow us to create consistent user experiences across applications The problem is that they are consistently bad. Web design has stagnated because of Material. There's little innovation going on because Material is "good enough" and "everyone else is doing it." That breeds mediocrity, not advancement.
- acct1771 7y ago
  For breathing life into outdated industries, Material is more than "good enough". For lack of better (less charged) phrasing, it's revolutionary.
huehehue 7y ago
What tickles me is that Google's designs (and re-designs) are so wildly inconsistent between products that any benefit of a unified design system is negated. Maybe it's too optimistic to expect universal consistency for a company or Google's size anyway. Opinion: I also find that, while each Material component seems intuitive in isolation, systems layering many if them together usually end up very difficult to use.
- sonnyblarney 7y ago
  Google's products don't seem to have any kind of consistency whatsoever, it seems it's rather a function of their culture. The designers I guess have more influence in some areas than others. I cannot find my way around YouTube creator after all these years.

by dpau 7y ago

reaperducer 7y ago

allow us to create consistent user experiences across applications The problem is that they are consistently bad. Web design has stagnated because of Material. There's little innovation going on because Material is "good enough" and "everyone else is doing it." That breeds mediocrity, not advancement.

acct1771 7y ago
For breathing life into outdated industries, Material is more than "good enough". For lack of better (less charged) phrasing, it's revolutionary.

huehehue 7y ago

What tickles me is that Google's designs (and re-designs) are so wildly inconsistent between products that any benefit of a unified design system is negated. Maybe it's too optimistic to expect universal consistency for a company or Google's size anyway. Opinion: I also find that, while each Material component seems intuitive in isolation, systems layering many if them together usually end up very difficult to use.

sonnyblarney 7y ago
Google's products don't seem to have any kind of consistency whatsoever, it seems it's rather a function of their culture. The designers I guess have more influence in some areas than others. I cannot find my way around YouTube creator after all these years.