Transcript
[ Music ]
[ Applause ]
>> Hello. Hi, I'm really excited
to be here to talk to you today
about The Qualities of Great
Design.
My name is Lauren Strehlow, and
I'm a design evangelist here at
Apple.
The evangelism team, our number
one goal is to help developers
just like you create great apps.
And a big part of my job is
actually to work with the design
presenters who are putting on
all of the awesome design
session content that you see
here at the conference.
So when I started to work with
potential presenters this year
about their talks, this theme of
quality kept coming up, but
nobody was talking about it head
on, so I decided to.
But I went about it a little bit
differently.
I decided to talk to great
designers from our developer
community, such as the creative
director at The Game Band.
I also talked to the cofounders
of the Layers Conference, which
is actually happening right now
across the street.
And I talked to the VP of Design
at Khan Academy.
I also talked to some of my
great colleagues here at Apple
who work in a wide variety of
design disciplines.
They work in type design, sound
design, motion, visual, and
interaction design.
These are all real people who I
truly admire and respect, and I
think they have created great
apps and games that have
tremendous caliber.
So I conducted a series of
interviews.
I talked to 13 people, and I
asked them a ton of questions to
discover what quality means to
them, what challenges they face,
and what they do to strive for
excellence in design.
So before you think any of this
is scripted, I actually didn't
give anybody these questions in
advance.
So everything you're about to
hear today is real reactions to
these questions.
I collected over 15 hours of
interview footage, and I've
distilled it down to the very
essence of these responses.
So the audio clips you're about
to hear today represent what I
discovered about quality in
great design.
So today, we're going to dig
into interpretations of quality
and how it influences our
perceptions and design
directions.
We're also going to talk about
its effect on people's lives.
[laughs] Actually, this is
really exciting because it
turned out to be so much more
than what I expected.
We're also going to hear about
aspirations from the designers
that I interviewed, to hear what
drives them, what goals they
have when they're striving for
quality, even if those goals
seem unattainable.
And finally, I want to share
some techniques that were
revealed while asking people
about their experiences.
And I hope that these techniques
can help you approach the
challenge of designing for a lot
of people.
So this session is all about the
qualities of great design
defined by designers.
So let's kick things off, and
get started, and hear a few
answers to this one simple
question: What is quality?
>> Quality is nothing else than
what we agree upon is good.
>> If something is quality, it
implies that there is nothing
random about it.
>> The number one thing is just
that something with a lot of
care and time went into it.
>> It's one of those things that
people can feel it when they
feel it, and it's very hard for
them to put their finger on it.
>> All right.
This one I can really relate to.
I'm totally a feeler, and so
this naturally led me to ask a
follow-on question: What does
quality feel like?
>> Does it feel like somebody
has thought of you already and
all the things that you need are
easy to get to and very
understandable?
>> I think that when I'm
thinking about things that are
quality or handling things that
are quality, it's things that
aren't painful to use in any
way, which could be, like,
mentally painful, physically
painful, emotionally painful,
things that don't make me feel
uncomfortable, or dumb, or
[laughs] or inconvenienced.
>> If you just launch the app
and you feel, as you use it, oh,
well, this feels like
state-of-the-art technology that
I'm using.
This feels like it's easier for
me to get things done.
I feel more productive.
I feel like I'm able to achieve
better results.
>> All the concentration that
you're building up goes to the
task at hand, the thing that you
actually want to do.
And that to me feels like
quality.
If you're able to achieve that,
and people can be very creative,
and make beautiful things, or
have special moments through a
device -- for example, by taking
really good pictures, or sharing
pictures with friends, or
finding the right music to play
at the right moment, or, you
know, doing fun stuff with
FaceTime, and seeing people on
the other side of the world that
you haven't seen in a long time
-- all of that is very special.
And again, none of that is
around the UI that you're doing.
None of that is about what
interaction you chose to do that
stuff.
That should all be obvious, and
blatantly unspoken, and just
completely in the background.
>> Wow. I just love that, that
quality isn't about the UI or
interactions, that it's about
the moment, the people.
You know, these are the people
that you're designing for, and
you're helping them create
memories and share those moments
with others.
That is what this is all about.
So how do you design for that?
Well, I actually asked that
question.
>> It's hard.
>> [laughter] Yeah.
I hope you weren't actually
hoping for a real answer here.
It's definitely very hard, and
we have 55 minutes to dig into
why.
So we just heard a ton of
answers to this question, what
is quality?
We heard that it is what we
agree upon is good, that it's
not random, it's something that
shows a lot of care and time
went into it, and it feels like
somebody has thought of you
already.
It can also be not painful in
any way, and it feels state of
the art.
Quality things make it easier to
get things done.
And finally, your concentration
goes to the thing that you
really want to do, like sharing
that picture or playing your
favorite song.
So by asking about quality, it
resulted in many different
answers, but what's so great
about that is that it reflects
what each one of these people
truly care about.
And of course, people care about
different things, so it makes
complete sense that they all
have different interpretations
of what quality is when it
applies to apps and games.
So we have a lot to get to
today, but I really want to dig
into just a couple of these
responses.
I think they're all great, but
let's just dig into this first
one here.
And we're going to listen to the
clip one more time.
>> If something is quality, it
implies that there is nothing
random about it.
>> During this interview with
Nicole, she explained that not
random to her meant not slapped
together.
And she used this word
"considered."
Great designs are considered.
They're organized, and they show
a thought process has taken
place.
And what I found really
interesting is that she said
that that's really visible to
people, that that visibility of
quality in design actually came
up in another interview when I
was talking with Mike.
>> I guess this is probably a
little cliché sounding, but
it's often the little things
that are the telltale signs
about craftsmanship.
>> Okay, we have to pause right
there because we're about to
talk about craft in a design
session, and Mike already called
it out that it's a little
cliché, but before we listen to
the rest of this clip, I need
you to imagine that you're in
the audio booth with us.
There's not going to be anything
on screen, so I want you to
really focus on the words that
Mike is about to say.
Okay, here we go.
>> We're sitting in this room
here, and there's these panels
on the wall, and the panels have
a little bit of a gap between
them.
And we can look at the width of
the gap as you look from the top
of the wall to the bottom of the
wall.
And if there's variable
separation or variable width of
that gap, you just get the sense
that it wasn't well crafted.
>> Right. So really, while Mike
was talking about those variable
widths in the gaps of the panels
in the audio booth, you know, I
understood that he's saying that
those details are visible, and
they matter a lot.
And it's through consideration
and being really deliberate, and
thinking through every single
detail thoughtfully, well, that
shows.
And so being really into your
craft here is the point because
the best things that we love are
not random.
They're not slapped together.
They're intentional through
every detail.
And if you can do that, that's
quality.
So let's explore one more answer
to the question, what is
quality, and listen to the clip
again.
>> The number one thing is just
that something with a lot of
care and time went into it.
>> This one in particular really
resonated with me because when
you're writing questions to
interviews like, what is
quality, you naturally end up
asking yourself, and to me,
quality is all about care.
So when I heard care connected
to quality not only from that
clip we just heard from Travis,
but it also came up in my
interview with Gary.
>> If it's quality, it's better
than something that's not
quality by virtue of someone
caring about it.
>> Right. I totally agree that
caring makes things better.
For example, I care about this
presentation, so, naturally,
it's just a little bit better
than if I didn't care about it
at all.
So now, I feel like we should
dig into, what is care?
Okay, we're going to stick with
a few interview clips from Gary
so you can hear more of the full
conversation.
So I asked him, "How would you
describe care?"
>> Just that someone, excuse my
French, gave a [beep].
>> [laughter] I'm not sure if
that's a WWDC first, but it's
simple.
I like it.
[laughs] Really, what he's
saying here is that care is a
motivator.
So how do you look at care in
design?
>> I look at it from 2 lenses of
care.
Did I care enough to make it the
best it could be?
But do I also care about what
your experience is?
Be it you.
Be it my mum.
Be it my next-door neighbor.
Be it anybody around the world.
You have to kind of, sort of
take yourself out of the
equation, put yourself in their
shoes so you can be sure that
their experience is a quality
experience.
So you have to care enough to do
that.
It's not just about caring about
your own sense of, "Oh, I like
my design, and I cared enough to
make it good for me."
It's about it being good for as
many people as possible or for
the target audience, if it
happens to be a more narrowly
focused thing.
>> Right. So when I heard this,
I was just, I wanted to know
how, immediately.
How do you design that
experience for others, and how
do you know when you've made
progress?
>> I think sometimes we look at
a tangled mess of problems that
we need to solve, and if, at the
end, you can look at the result
and go, that is so much better,
and if it came easy, it wouldn't
be as fun, but the fact that you
sweated over it, that you really
worked hard at it, that it gave
you sleepless nights, that you
poured late nights and weekends
into solving those problems,
combined effort, team effort,
the end result is so much more
satisfying.
I love it when we work hard and
get there more than when ideas
just come easily.
I worry that we've actually
missed something by not working
hard.
If it's too easy, we've become
complacent, and I don't think
you get anywhere rewarding
without doing hard work.
>> I really understood this
point about working hard after
Gary related this to mountain
biking.
We talked about this for a
while, so I'm just going to
summarize that conversation here
for you today.
Essentially, you have to work
really hard to get to the top of
the mountain, and then you can
have a ton of fun on the
descent.
Now, it's not as much fun if you
just started at the top and went
down because it's really all of
that time, and effort, and sweat
that brings you to the top of
the mountain that makes the view
all that more beautiful and
makes the ride down so much more
fun.
So in life, care naturally gives
more time and effort because you
have a passion to achieve your
goals, and you'll do whatever is
needed to meet your own
expectations.
And yeah, that's totally a lot
of work, but that hard work has
a payoff, and it's really
satisfying.
And the payoff, well, that's why
you did it in the first place,
right?
You have a goal, and you make it
happen.
That's just awesome.
So quality is all about care,
and because you care, you're
going to put in that time and
effort to make things great.
And that's just one answer to
the question, what is quality?
And because there are so many
different interpretations of
quality, well, that means it's
just really hard to achieve.
A little bit later, we're going
to get into some techniques to
hopefully help make the process
of designing a little bit
easier.
But for now, let's just recap
what we've learned.
So far, just by asking a few
simple questions, we've learned
that quality means something
different to different people,
that it's not random -- it is
crafted and considered.
Quality is the result of time,
effort, and care.
And it is just hard to achieve,
but that's okay.
Quality has many different
interpretations.
What is yours?
I think this is really important
to ask yourself, what is
quality, and what does it mean
to you, and what does it mean to
your app or game, because that's
going to reveal what you truly
care about, and that's going to
help you focus on what you're
working towards going forward.
So let's just pause here for a
moment, and we actually need to
go back a bit.
Why does quality matter in the
first place?
Why are we even talking about it
here at WWDC?
Well, what's the significance?
Let's just ask, why is quality
important?
>> Quality impacts the world
that we interact with in so many
different ways all the time
throughout our day.
>> Yeah. Travis is totally
right.
Throughout our day, there are
things that we eat, drink, wear,
I mean, even the air we breathe.
They all have some level of
quality that impacts us.
And we expect quality in our
friendships, in our family, in
our relationships.
We seek out people who show us
respect, who care about us and
make us feel good.
I mean, nobody keeps around
poor-quality friends.
We also expect quality from the
products that we use and the
things that we use every day.
We expect them not to break.
And if they do break, well, we
tend to think that they're cheap
and not well made, and we
typically won't buy them again.
So yeah, the concept of quality
impacts our every day, and it's
really in everything.
While it's really wide reaching
and broad, there seems to be
something so special about
quality, but what is it?
What makes quality special?
>> They say, like, oh, I cooked
this with love, and it can just
be eggs or whatever, but it does
taste different, and I think
Jessie and I like to think that
whatever we do, that sort of
love for what we're doing comes
through.
>> Right? I know these two
ladies absolutely love what they
do, and I know I can feel it
when someone really loves
something.
And to Elaine's first point, you
know, I think everyone here
knows that Mom and Dad's food
just tastes a little bit better
because it's made with that care
and love.
So what really Elaine means by
this is your intentions are
felt.
So if your intention is to
create something great and you
do everything you need to do to
achieve that, people are going
to know.
They're going to feel it.
And the reverse is true too.
You know, if you rushed and you
didn't really care about the
look of settings in your app UI,
well, it's going to impact the
overall feeling that people have
about your app.
So throughout the course of
conducting these interviews, I
started to see the word
"quality" everywhere, like
quality coffee or quality meats.
And even one night when I was
working really late, and I
ordered a pizza, and the pizza
box said, "Our commitment is
quality."
[laughs] So I see the word
everywhere now.
It's really pervasive, from
signs to badges, to labels.
So I brought this up in a few of
the interviews, not because I
wanted to know what people
thought of labeling, but,
instead, to ask, why do we tend
to be drawn towards things that
are quality?
>> Well, survival instinct at
its root.
On a more deep level, I guess,
why do we desire quality?
We desire quality because we
want to live.
And a good survival strategy for
living is to put things into our
body, to eat things, or to wear
things, or to drive in things,
or to live in things that are
safe and have been well
constructed so they aren't going
to cause us bodily harm.
And so I think purely on a
survival level, quality is a
very important concept for us.
It's a very important attribute
that we seek in everything.
>> Mike explained a bit further
during this interview.
We were talking about this
fictitious butcher shop, and if
we were in this shop, quality
would be communicated not only
by the products itself, but also
the shop being really clean and
interacting with the really nice
people that work there.
Every facet of the entire
experience would meet your
expectations, [laughs] and it
would also be connected to that
proposition of quality.
And that evokes trust.
Trust comes from products
upholding their promise, and
that quality experience is far
more important than any label
because I am definitely not
suggesting that you add a label
to your apps because you
[laughs] definitely don't need
to.
Every facet of your app
experience, from the screenshots
on the App Store to the
description, to how you respond
to customer reviews, all through
to your app's interface, these
experiences, these interactions
that you have with people, that
communicates the quality about
your app or your game.
And you don't want a label
anyway.
Why?
>> In a way, it's like saying
you're cool.
Like, being cool doesn't involve
saying you're cool.
[laughs] And, you know, you only
say that someone else is cool.
It's only something which can be
sort of determined by an outside
party, in a way.
And even then, there's a certain
context where it feels more
appropriate than others.
Like, if we're talking about
Thelonious Monk and we're just
talking about jazz in the '50's,
like, that's cool.
That's the birth of cool, right.
[laughs] That's where it's,
like, totally appropriate to use
that kind of term, but that's an
earned coolness.
And so quality has to be earned.
>> I think Mike makes a really
good point.
So the significance of quality
is massive.
As we heard, it impacts our
every day, it can be felt, and
it evokes trust in the people
that are using your app.
All right.
Now, everyone I talked to
throughout these interviews,
they all have a passion for
excellence, so we're going to
talk about four design
aspirations, and these four
aspirations really stood out to
me because, well, they seemed
just so incredibly elusive and
hard to achieve.
But these designers use them as
motivation to strive for quality
in their work, and these
aspirations are to design things
that are simple, stunning,
timeless, and leave a positive
impact on people's lives.
So we're going to dig into each
one of these to discover why
they're important and also how
they provide motivation to
create great design.
All right.
Let's start with simplicity.
This came up in response to this
question: What makes a great
app?
>> It's simple.
It doesn't try to do more than
it needs to do.
And what it does, it does it
really well.
>> I don't know about you, but I
have heard that a lot.
[laughs] So I'm sure you've
heard it before too.
But there's got to be a reason
why that phrase is on repeat,
and I was really thinking about
this after the interview.
You know, why should apps be
simple, and why is that a good
thing?
Well, it finally clicked for me
one day after work.
I got home, I needed to cook
some dinner, and I needed an app
to help me with a recipe, to not
make cooking any harder than it
already is.
And as soon as I was home, I
remembered that I needed to go
ahead and put, book pet care for
my two dogs because I'm going on
vacation after WWDC.
Aw, aren't they cute?
[laughs] Okay, we have to stop
before I get distracted.
We're talking about two tasks
here, cooking dinner and pet
care.
Why do the apps that help me
with those, why do they need to
be simple?
Well, it's because I don't go
into them all the time, so they
need to be instantly
understandable, as if I already
know how to use them.
So familiar navigation and
gestures really help with that.
You know, the goal is launch the
app, I totally get it, and I can
get the task done.
But why else should they be
simple?
Well, it could be a good day or
a bad day, but I'm using these
apps in real life, and that's
where all of my mental energy
should be, not wasted on a
confusing app UI, interaction,
or interface.
Apps should not be a burden, and
it's a lot easier to get back to
real life when they're simple.
So how would you describe
simplicity in apps and games?
>> It just has to work.
>> Right. It just has to work
for the people that are using
it.
But there's actually something
else here.
You don't want people to feel
distracted.
Simple, easy-to-understand apps
that just work, well, they help
keep people focused.
I know for me, I can get really
easily overwhelmed if
something's out of place.
It can just take me out of that
experience, and that makes
getting the task done even
harder.
I was actually talking to Jessie
about this, and I asked her,
what does she look for in great
apps?
>> Make my life feel a little
bit easier or make my life feel
a little bit nicer or more
luxurious.
>> I think that is just spot on.
Make my life feel a little bit
easier by being simple, focused,
instantly understandable, and
just do one thing really, really
well.
That is the goal.
All right, this next aspiration
is to be stunning, and this came
up when I was talking to
Caroline.
I asked her, "What communicates
great visual design?"
>> Just that polish.
Does it look great?
Does it look stunning?
And then, the other level of
polish, on a different kind of
app, like a game or something,
to me is making it feel
beautiful as an experience, like
it feels like a work of art.
>> Right, yes.
So we talked a little bit
further about this, and Caroline
explained that what she means by
polish is things lining up just
the way you intend them to be,
including how it feels.
You know, swipe animations
lining right up with those swipe
gestures.
And the best apps appear
visually perfect, and that is
just totally remarkable.
And she also mentioned games.
Games should absolutely aspire
to be stunning.
Games are a perfect escape from
this world into a different one.
And they accomplish this through
stunning, immersive visuals.
I mean, I love TV and movies,
but that's a really passive
escape.
In games, well, they're an
active one, and that's why I
love them.
But there is one essential thing
that all games must do.
They must teach you, the player,
the rules.
And this is really a first
impression that people have of a
lot of games, so it makes me
really sad when games make a bad
first impression because when
I'm trying to learn, well, the
rules feel slapped together,
added on last minute, or it just
doesn't feel a part of the
game's world.
So I decided to ask Sam, who's
working on an upcoming game
called Where Cards Fall, "How do
you learn the rules of the game
all while staying in the game's
world?"
>> With games in particular,
there's a real joy that can come
from discovering what they can
do and learning for yourself.
People tend to remember things
the best when they experience
them themselves, when they learn
them through some sort of active
discovery.
So if we give them too much at
the beginning, we're robbing
them of that chance to reward
their own curiosity.
So we always want to make sure
that they stay curious, that
they stay interested throughout
the entire experience, and that
they have a lot of different
moments where they can be
rewarded for trying something.
And when they try something and
they discover something for the
first time, they definitely
won't forget it.
But if we throw up like a
tooltip or some way of just
making sure that we as the game
designers are comfortable
knowing that they know
something, there's a pretty good
chance that they'll forget it
later on since they didn't go
through the process of learning
it themselves.
So when I go into a game for the
first time, I want to learn how
to navigate the world, if it
takes place in a world, as
quickly as possible or just how
to understand the rules of the
game as quickly as possible, but
not so quickly that I'm kind of
robbed of my curiosity to
explore them a little bit
further.
So I tend to get a sense for
what the game is, and if the
game continues to surprise me,
I'll make it through to the
finish line.
>> Wow, that was learning the
rules in Where Cards Fall, and
that definitely feels a part of
the game's world, and I think
everyone can learn from what Sam
said about active discovery.
And this is not just for games.
Active discovery is so much
better than reading tooltips or
chasing a pointing arrow, and to
Sam's point, being told isn't as
much fun or, frankly, effective
as discovering something for
yourself.
It's kind of like being told
about a vacation versus being on
that vacation yourself.
It's way more fun, and you're
just going to remember it better
if you actually go through that
experience.
So whether you're creating an
app or a game, aspire to be
stunning.
Create beautiful experiences,
polish your visual design so it
looks and feels just a part of
your app or game's world.
Okay, timeless.
This has been on my mind since
talking with Hugo, a sound
designer.
Most of you will recognize this.
[ Ringtone ]
I'm always looking for where
that phone is.
But what reminded me of this
ringtone was this part of the
interview.
>> If we create a ringtone for
the new iPhone, then we don't
want it to sound dated after a
year, of course.
It should still be a great
ringtone after 5 years, and
maybe people will still remember
it after 10 years.
>> It was actually this section
of the quote that really made me
think of timelessness.
You know, it makes sense for a
ringtone not to want to sound
dated, but this could also apply
to your visual and interaction
design too.
Hugo used this word "durability"
to describe quality during our
interview, and I think that's
really great.
If we all aspire to create
designs that are just a little
bit longer lasting, it not only
would save us time and effort
now, but it would put us into
the right mindset to provide
something that we create with
the opportunity to be timeless.
This final aspiration really had
an impact on me, and it came
from my colleague Doug when I
asked him, "What makes great app
experiences?"
>> When I think of, like, great
app experiences and things that
kind of provide something unique
and valuable to users, I think a
lot of it is the substantial
kind of positive effect that it
has on the user's life.
>> Doug, you nailed it.
Yes, absolutely, apps should
provide something unique and
valuable, but, actually, it was
this part, the positive effect,
that really resonated with me.
It made me reassess the apps and
games on my phone.
After this interview, I
literally scrolled through all
of my apps, and I thought, which
ones have a positive effect on
my life?
You know, wouldn't it be great
if life just had a little more
positivity?
So next time you design, strive
for simplicity because real life
if where we need to be spending
our energy.
Aspire to be stunning because we
all need a break from chaos, and
it's really nice to escape and
experience something beautiful.
Design to be timeless.
Think about how your designs can
be good now but also years from
now because we could all design
to be a little less trendy and
definitely more durable.
And finally, think about how you
could have a positive impact on
people's lives.
And, you know, this can manifest
itself in really different ways
depending on your app.
It could be maybe that
positivity is being really
accurate, or maybe it's just
being super entertaining.
Maybe it's just making someone's
life or day feel a little bit
easier.
I hope that you found some of
these thoughts to be as
inspiring as I did.
I'm sure you're thinking now,
though, well, sure, this has
been mildly inspiring and
somewhat educational, but what
can I do?
What can I actually take away
and apply to my work?
Well, I wanted to know that too.
After talking with so many
different people from different
backgrounds, I wanted to know
what they learned -- what they
learned on the job through their
experiences.
So through a series of
questions, I uncovered a few
tips and techniques that these
designers use regularly when
designing.
And something important to
mention about design before we
get started is, yes, design is
hard because nobody sets out to
create a bad app.
Making great designs is what we
all strive for, but let's be
honest.
We don't always achieve it, and
that's okay because we keep
trying and we learn a lot along
the way.
Okay, let's go ahead and hear
this first technique, and it
really surprised me.
It came up when I was talking
with Loic [phonetic], a type
designer, and I asked him, "What
helps you with your work?"
>> So in the case of type
design, for instance, we've
developed all kinds of little
drawing tricks.
In type design especially,
subjectiveness I feel can
[inaudible] even more than in
other aspects of design because
we go to the depth of how the
particular curve of, on the
shoulder of a lowercase m is,
for instance.
And we can have a 10-minute
discussion only on that.
But the difficult part is
describing what you see in words
that the other person is going
to understand the way you mean
it, and that's very difficult
when you're talking about shape.
But one way we started doing
that with some of my colleagues
was basically redrawing the
shape we're looking at with
exaggerated features, where we
basically kind of make a
caricature of what we are
seeing.
So if I'm pushing what I'm
seeing to the extreme of why I
find it ugly or uncomfortable,
it's because it feels like that
to me.
And through that drawing,
usually the other people can
start seeing that much more
toned down but existing feature
of the design that they weren't
necessarily perceiving before
because that's not what they
were looking at.
So it is about trying to make
people see the world through
your eyes and the other way
around, like gaining the ability
to see the world through their
eyes, so that you can then find
that third place that is
actually the joint gaze that you
have on the world.
And that's the, that I think to
me is the key of a successful
collaboration in design is
finding that place.
>> Wow. Before we even dig into
this technique, have you thought
about type design?
I mean, every single letter that
you text, and email, and that
you read, that's been designed,
and type designers care so much
about detail that they've
invented ways to communicate
about shape when there are no
words.
That's just so cool.
So to Loic's point, when you're
designing for others, it's
really necessary to see the
world through their eyes, and
this technique helps achieve
that.
So draw caricatures and ask
others to do the same.
It's really the importance of
putting yourself in others'
shoes because you can better
understand their world.
And this is a great tool for
communication if words are not
doing it, and it'll help you
understand what others are
seeing.
This next technique is going to
be unveiled through a story.
Actually, even better, a first
job story.
Because you learn a lot on your
first job, and they have a huge
impact.
So I asked my colleague Doug
what he learned at his first
design job.
>> One of the real kind of ahas
for me was a question that I got
at the Tech Museum from the Head
of Design that was essentially,
why is this good?
Why is this thing that you just
gave me good?
And, you know, my initial
reaction was, well, because I
think this will be easy for
people to do.
And, you know, he responded,
like, well, how do you know
that?
How do you know that this is
going to be easier than the way
that we do it now?
And I kind of realized that I
didn't know the answer to that.
And then, I realized what he was
really asking is, should we put
all of this energy into making
the changes that you're
suggesting?
How can we be sure that that's
the right thing to do?
And to answer that question, I
opened up -- it might have been
Microsoft Paint [laughs] -- and
I drew a picture, and I took it
out onto the museum floor, and
basically asked visitors to give
me their impression of what they
thought they should do based on
kind of how I had arranged
things on the screen.
>> So what Doug was talking
about here, and he went on to
explain, that it was this method
of prototyping that helped him
answer that question from his
boss.
Why should we put energy into
your idea?
So what Doug learned at his
first design job was that he
could not assume that his
designs were going to work.
And this actually also came up
in my conversation with Gary.
>> It wasn't just designed on
paper, implemented in code, and
sort of assumed that that was
going to work.
You can't just assume from your
own experience and through
chatting that something's going
to work.
You've really got to go out and
try it.
>> And I think this is the part
that's really important not to
overlook.
You know, in this case, we are
talking about trying designs in
context out in the real world to
vet solutions to problems, and
trying solutions is something
that Sam mentioned too.
>> One of our ethos's is to
solve a problem.
Put it in front of players and
see how they react.
See if they're learning what
they need to learn.
And if we need to do more, we'll
do more.
It's impossible to rush the
creative process of making a
game because so much of what's
special about the games that you
remember are decisions that seem
very obvious and very small but
take a really, really long time
to arrive at.
And you can't hire more people
to get there faster.
You just have to sit with it and
continue working on it until the
best solutions arise.
>> So Sam said something here
that I want to expand on.
More people are not going to fix
a creative problem.
Great artists are patient.
Sometimes you just get writer's
block and there's no amount of
conversation that's going to fix
it, so you have to wait and just
let that creative process
happen.
And that's okay.
It's a part of the process, and
sometimes that's exactly what is
needed to produce quality.
So the theme really from these
last 3 clips is to go out and
try your designs in context with
real people.
Show people prototypes and learn
from their feedback.
This is a really essential
technique to help work through
your design decisions.
So we can learn a lot from each
other, so I wanted to know what
advice would one designer give
to another designer.
>> Learn how to accept, and
sort, and prioritize the
feedback as it comes in, whether
it's from yourself or from
others.
You will learn so much more
quickly than if you are
defensive and you just, like,
buckle down.
>> I personally struggle with
this.
I can almost not help becoming
defensive when I hear feedback
on a project I'm working on.
It's like this instinctual
reaction, especially if I just
spent late nights and weekends
working on something.
But still, I know it's
important, but I wanted to know
why.
Again, why is it important to be
open to feedback?
>> I think there's also just a
reality, which is after you've
used your own work for some
amount of time, you naturally
develop some blind spots.
And that's where having a really
great, collaborative team and
people that you trust around you
to help critique your work is a
really important part of the
design process.
So you can get fresh eyes on
stuff and trust that people have
the good intentions and they're
going to be able to give you
great insights of how you can
improve.
>> Totally.
I've been there.
I've definitely been too close
on a project and lost sight of a
big picture or overlooked some
detail.
So by being open to feedback,
it's really easy then to have
someone else like your team or
somebody that you asked a
question to give you something,
some piece of information that
can help you improve your
designs.
And I really like that May-Li
said this word, "trust," to
trust the people around you.
So be open to feedback.
It makes everything better and
just ups the overall quality of
design in your work.
So this next technique is more
of a mindset, and it came up
when I asked Cas, who works on
platform patterns, "How do you
approach designing for so many
people?"
>> Knowing what you don't know,
in a way.
What I mean is that if you're
looking at these things or if
you're designing for these
things, obviously, you have
ideas and ways of using a
certain device or an app in your
own way, in your own
environment, in your own habits,
and you might know a little bit
about how your friends are using
it, or how you've seen other
people use it, or maybe feedback
you're getting, but it's a
really big world, and there's a
lot of people out there, and
they all have their own needs,
their own habits, their own way
of going through life.
And so you have to be very
mindful that how you think about
things or your opinions are not
always, first of all, correct
ones, nor the only ones.
>> I really like how Cas put
this at the beginning -- know
that you don't know.
And he also used this word
"modesty" through our
conversation.
To be unassuming when you're
designing for so many people.
And that is a really great
headspace to be in when you're
approaching design; to be modest
and to be mindful.
So how do you help keep people's
experiences top of mind when
you're designing?
>> So in many ways, I just have
to be skeptical and ask
questions if the idea in front
of me, is that going to work for
someone in a wheelchair, for
example?
Is that going to work for
someone that has never used this
app before?
Is it going to work for someone
coming from a PC to a Mac?
You just have to ask lots of
questions, and it can just start
people thinking about, oh, yeah,
did I care enough to consider
that aspect of it?
>> Right. So this may seem
really simple, but it's
important to ask questions,
especially from different
perspectives.
That's going to help you
maintain quality throughout your
work and keep those other
people's experiences in mind.
So design is a really
collaborative process, and
there's a lot that goes into
making collaboration work.
At one point or another, we're
all going to start on a new
project or a new team, so what
helps make that process a little
bit easier?
>> I always like to set
expectations upfront.
I just say, hey, this is how I
am.
This is how I work.
This is how I communicate.
How do you work?
How do you communicate?
What's your preferred method of
communication?
And by the way, here's the goals
that I think we are working
toward.
And here are the things that are
important to me.
And please share with me the
same for you.
And I'll always sort of say it
with a caveat like, "We're going
to get all this business out of
the way, and we're going to
speak very directly about it."
>> I know for me, talking about
communication can be awkward,
but after I tried this
technique, I learned that it
helps avoid so much drama and
confusion.
So talk about communication,
especially if you're working on
teams.
Work towards the same goal about
creating something great.
So really, these six techniques
are all about caring about the
other people and having tools to
talk about it, and you have to
care about other people and put
yourself second.
Be mindful of their lives and be
modest about your own because we
just learned you can't assume.
You have to go out and try your
designs through prototyping and
also really remain open to
feedback.
That's essential to making
progress in design because, as
May-Li said, we all develop
blind spots, and we're not only
designing to make progress, but
we want to get closer to
reaching our own aspirations and
our own goals.
So these techniques are used by
real designers that I talked to,
and they help them go through
the process of designing, and it
makes their days a little bit
easier, so I hope they can help
you too.
So after all of these
interviews, I learned that
quality is the result of time,
effort, and care.
It's considered, it's crafted,
and it means something different
to different people.
I also learned that quality
impacts our every day, that your
intentions are truly felt.
High quality evokes trust, and
that's really important, as well
as it has to be earned.
It's also important to strive
for simplicity, to aspire to be
stunning, and design to be
timeless.
Just think about how your app or
game can have a positive impact
on people's lives.
And finally, working towards
quality is all about
communication, collaboration,
and understanding, especially
understanding the people you are
designing for.
So really, quality is a
principle.
It is intentional, and it's
something that you have to ask
yourself, what does quality mean
to you?
And you need to know your
interpretation to go forward, to
put in that hard work that meets
your expectations and hits your
aspirations because, at the end
of the day, you're not designing
for you.
You're designing for other
people who are going to use your
app or your game.
So make great designs for them.
Now, there are two important
statements on quality in great
design that stand alone.
These are going to play back to
back, and I hope each offers
something different that you can
take away from today.
>> Sensing the human behind the
experience I think is really an
earmark of something great.
>> A great design is going to be
the product of tremendous amount
of effort, and creativity, and
skill, and [laughs] late nights.
It's going to seem effortless,
and it should hopefully recede
in people's consciousness.
And in a way, I think you're
very aware of an interface which
has been poorly designed, and
you're not at all aware of an
interface which has been well
designed.
>> So I talked to a lot of
people, and I saved something
special just for the end.
Since I had the opportunity to
talk to so many different
designers, I had to ask them onw
final question, and it's
something that I've always
wanted, wondered myself: What
are designers' favorite colors?
>> Oh, wow.
>> My favorite color?
>> I have to say--
>> Is there such a thing?
I don't think so.
>> I would have said glitter,
but it's not a color.
>> One of the things that I
really love is Tahitian blue.
>> But colors to me are like
moods, and I do not have the
same mood every day.
I don't think I even have the
same mood every hour, so.
>> I really like white.
Is it really a color?
I think that's one of the
reasons why I like it.
>> My favorite color has been
amber.
>> I mean, lately, it's been
green for some reason.
I don't know why.
>> I got to go back on this
answer.
Oh, it's actually Pantone 347.
>> My favorite color is blue.
>> Like a happy blue, and blue
is, like, always such a color of
responsibility, which is, like,
so me.
>> But I just think it's, like,
soft and friendly.
And food that's pink tastes
good.
>> I'm going to go with red.
>> Throw out a hex value.
I don't have a favorite color.
Every color's great.
>> [laughs] All right, maybe
I'll just answer for this moment
in time.
>> I don't wear any green.
My car's not green.
But I just like the idea of
green.
>> And I can't pick one because
I wouldn't be able to pick a
single musical note, so I'll use
all of them where it makes
sense.
>> I'll need to check the spec
on that, I think.
System blue, of course.
Yeah.
>> Special thanks to everyone
who participated in these
interviews.
Thank you all so much.
Have a great WWDC.