Design Is Not for Designers

In this talk, we’ll take a look at examples of products that are designed well, not because of how they look, but how they work. The small decisions made along the way that contribute to success. We’ll also talk about avoiding the common pitfalls of design for design’s sake. Over-abundant animations, the obsession with “clean” interfaces that lack function, making our products so opinionated that only we like them—all the things we designers tend to fawn over that don’t matter much to most people. Finally, we’ll talk about balancing the need to serve our customers’ best interests, vs. our own needs to survive as a company. You can’t build products for people, after all, if you go out of business. Successful design solves problems. Well designed products meet needs. Focus your energy there, and you will build something truly great.

This talk was recorded at AltConf 2015. Watch all the videos!