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> Design is how it works, not how it looks. No, it is not. If you're Steve Jobs then yes, but otherwise how it looks and how it works are usually two different

> Design is how it works, not how it looks. No, it is not. If you're Steve Jobs then yes, but otherwise how it looks and how it works are usually two different job functions. People who are good at visual design are not usually knowledgeable enough to do functional design, and people who are good at functional design are not necessarily good at visual design.

illiarian 4y ago
> No, it is not. Yes, it is. If it's about how it looks, then it's illustration, not design. > how it looks and how it works are usually two different job functions. Again, no. If you skip functionality in your design, you will end up with an unusable product.
- TuringTest 4y ago
  But if you skip the looks in your design, you'll end up with a product that works worse. It may not look rational, but then humans do not have a 100% rational behaviour. https://lawsofux.com/aesthetic-usability-effect/ https://lawsofux.com/aesthetic-usability-effect/
  - illiarian 4y ago
    It's not an either-or ;) Edit: don't also forget, that after initial perception comes the actual usage.
creativenolo 4y ago
> No, it is not. Bold statement for something subjective. I think you are confusing design and art (from your own experience or misfortune). The processes of visual design have informed (or formalised) the design as a process in other fields. Artists have a style as a function. Designers (visual or not) have process. No one is great at everything. Mediocre designers are either too visual or not at all (especially the latter), in my experience. Good to great designers grasp both and have breath. Even the ones that don't have art as a function can direct, steer and brief the art of a project (or be resourceful with it.) But you can't have design without process.
- petilon 4y ago
  My comments are based on experience working on projects where some designers (who went to art school) heard Steve Jobs say "design is how it works, not how it looks" and then decided that they own the "how it works" part. The result, from what I have seen, is disastrous. Functional design (how it works) and visual design (how it looks) is really two different job functions. You don't need an art degree or even be good in art in order to design the functionalities or even interactions of a product. At the same time, being good in art and designing cool looking UI doesn't make you qualified to design the functionalities or interactions of the product. Not even close. Both job functions are needed to build a good product. In rare cases one person may be able to do both.
  - doctor_eval 4y ago
    Jobs said, "In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service." Design is not just one thing or another. It happens at each layer. From deciding how many options you want to present to the user, to how they will be presented. Or deciding how to deal with errors in the backend, versus reporting them in the front end. Design decisions are made the whole way through. I think this is visible with lots of Apple products because some people complain that they aren’t flexible enough. But reducing configurability is as much a design decision as the colour of the icons. (And sometimes more challenging)
    - petilon 4y ago
      > Design is not just one thing or another. It happens at each layer. I think we are in agreement. "How it works" is design. "How it looks" is also design. Sometimes, but not usually, one person may be able to do both types of design.
      - esafak 4y ago
        UX vs UI
samsolomon 4y ago
Any product designer is expected to be knowledgeable about both visuals and ux. There are huge benefits to having people on the product team that can research, assess and design solutions.

illiarian 4y ago

> No, it is not. Yes, it is. If it's about how it looks, then it's illustration, not design. > how it looks and how it works are usually two different job functions. Again, no. If you skip functionality in your design, you will end up with an unusable product.

TuringTest 4y ago
But if you skip the looks in your design, you'll end up with a product that works worse. It may not look rational, but then humans do not have a 100% rational behaviour. https://lawsofux.com/aesthetic-usability-effect/ https://lawsofux.com/aesthetic-usability-effect/
- illiarian 4y ago
  It's not an either-or ;) Edit: don't also forget, that after initial perception comes the actual usage.

creativenolo 4y ago

> No, it is not. Bold statement for something subjective. I think you are confusing design and art (from your own experience or misfortune). The processes of visual design have informed (or formalised) the design as a process in other fields. Artists have a style as a function. Designers (visual or not) have process. No one is great at everything. Mediocre designers are either too visual or not at all (especially the latter), in my experience. Good to great designers grasp both and have breath. Even the ones that don't have art as a function can direct, steer and brief the art of a project (or be resourceful with it.) But you can't have design without process.

petilon 4y ago
My comments are based on experience working on projects where some designers (who went to art school) heard Steve Jobs say "design is how it works, not how it looks" and then decided that they own the "how it works" part. The result, from what I have seen, is disastrous. Functional design (how it works) and visual design (how it looks) is really two different job functions. You don't need an art degree or even be good in art in order to design the functionalities or even interactions of a product. At the same time, being good in art and designing cool looking UI doesn't make you qualified to design the functionalities or interactions of the product. Not even close. Both job functions are needed to build a good product. In rare cases one person may be able to do both.
- doctor_eval 4y ago
  Jobs said, "In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service." Design is not just one thing or another. It happens at each layer. From deciding how many options you want to present to the user, to how they will be presented. Or deciding how to deal with errors in the backend, versus reporting them in the front end. Design decisions are made the whole way through. I think this is visible with lots of Apple products because some people complain that they aren’t flexible enough. But reducing configurability is as much a design decision as the colour of the icons. (And sometimes more challenging)
  - petilon 4y ago
    > Design is not just one thing or another. It happens at each layer. I think we are in agreement. "How it works" is design. "How it looks" is also design. Sometimes, but not usually, one person may be able to do both types of design.
    - esafak 4y ago
      UX vs UI

samsolomon 4y ago

Any product designer is expected to be knowledgeable about both visuals and ux. There are huge benefits to having people on the product team that can research, assess and design solutions.