Design is not just how it looks like or feels like. Design is how it works. – Steve Jobs
We have read this quote, seen this and experienced it through many products several times before. But, is that still relevant? If so, is it something customers really need? Or is it something they think they need?
Apple, through several products in the past ‘wow’ed us with the design choices they have made. They consciously acknowledge the fact that humans perceive thoughtfulness of a design when they see and use a product but might not be able to articulate why they enjoy it!
“An indicator has a value when it is indicating something. When it is not indicating anything, it shouldn’t be there.”
That single minded design obsession above is classical ‘Apple’y focus that we have come to associate with for several years now. And this happened:
This is the most functional design any battery case manufacturer would have come up with. It is easy to put on and remove, there are no multiple parts to lose, there’s no on/off switch to bother about, it charged when the iPhone charged and more importantly the battery didn’t obstruct the antenna lines affecting reception like many cases did. It had a lot of things going for it. This is a perfect metaphor for “Design is how it works.” Isn’t it? But.. “The hump” the internet called. “Ugly,” “afterthought,” and “Steve Jobs would never have approved this” was the consensus. It feels an oxymoron for someone to say, ah whatever, it still has to look good. 🙄
Despite constant criticism, Apple upheld their design ethos churning out great products year after year. They continued make changes only when absolutely necessary that made the user experience better unlike their counterparts who did it for change sake. And then, this happened:
When Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro on 30th October, internet literally lost its shit over the radical new design, flat edges and edge to edge display. Everyone called it the best design Apple had produced in recent years!
But.. you guessed it right! I disagree. Flat edges don’t allow you to lift the iPad one handed on a table, (you can totally do that if it’s a phone as you can pinch it with one hand and iPhone 4 still remains my favourite iPhone design) non-chamfered edges mean feeling the sharp edges on extended use and change of connectors making the existing peripheral ecosystem obsolete. There are several flaws in the iPad that make it far from perfect. Still, a new design wins the hearts!
Probably for the rest of the world, design is not how it works but may be how it looks like and feels like, after all!
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