Rediscovering human essence in design
Firstly, I’d like to express that for over 8 years, I have worked at Countly - a product analytics company, or, to phrase it more precisely, a digital experience analytics company, given the interconnected nature of today. Our product is about data, and it’s a great product.
I’d like to share a brief perspective on how I believe the influence of data, coupled with a data-driven approach, shapes the design industry and the role of the designer or design leader in general. There is something slightly alarming.
In the shadow of Silicon Valley’s tech success, the claim of having “solved” design as an engineering problem led to a subtle trade-off . Sacrificing intuition and ingenuity for measurable outcomes. Despite companies claiming a “design-driven” ethos, designers sometimes find themselves buried in spreadsheets and processes, playing it safe to avoid tough decisions. The blind trust in governance systems has fueled short-term success, but the efficiency-driven culture risks sidelining creativity, guts, and innovation.
Efficiency, treated as a deity, integrates design into project management frameworks. Consequently, design leaders often lean towards predictable efforts, sticking to timelines. While it works in the short term, the long-term innovation aspect is up for debate. Your design efforts should be empowered by data, but it shouldn’t make you a predictable, data slave. Design should use data, but it should not become a predictable routine. It’s necessary to challenge the status quo, to have a chance to come up with a real innovation and it’s the same with design.
Someone could say that there’s nothing wrong with making everything more efficient. In the short term? Sure, maybe. In the long term, it can have consequences for future development - it can limit you in the long run. In case of design, it’s an efficiency trap.
Design decisions, complex and risky, now often rely on the safety net of A/B testing. The often-quoted Google approach of A/B testing 40+ shades of blue underscores the potential pitfalls. The obsession with testing, while offering certainty, risks diverting attention from the broader design landscape. Too much testing might make us lose sight of the big picture.
By the way, can you measure a feel?
A/B tests might be useful in finding a color that will get people to click a link more often, but it can’t product a product that feels like a pleasing and integrated whole.” - Ken Kocienda
While having data and numbers is crucial, in a fully data-enslaved culture, the essence of the product experience can fade into the background, overshadowed by the authority of numerical metrics. It’s easy and comfortable to demonstrate that anything is based on data, but explaining a new, complex and potentially revolutionary vision can be really challenging. So everything quantifiable takes precedence, sometimes at the expense of real creativity. Did Shakespeare resort to A/B testing for his plays? Did Hitchcock A/B test the iconic scenes in North by Northwest?
While data is essential, a data-obsessed approach risks losing the heart of the product experience. Taste and vision matter in design. Should design conform to the majority, or should it follow bold visions and imagination?
This extends to product design . Should the future of a product be solely shaped by measuring current users? To a certain extent, yes. While insights from current users are valuable, the vision plays a key role. Users provide insights, but it is crucial to formulate a visionary direction that extends beyond user feedback. Visions not only inspire individuals but also ignite meaningful discussions, foster creative discourse, and bring joy.
The pursuit of efficiency results in a chain of standardization, from output to education, ensuring predictability and profitability. This can lead to designs that are too standardized, hindering innovation. While each may meet a basic standard, none stands out, none is distinctive, bold, or brave. Progress becomes incremental, almost negligible, resembling the demise of design innovation.
Design shouldn’t be just functional. There’s a really important emotional aspect in design. It’s time to bring back the human essence to design, let’s take risks, and aim for the best.
Can we enhance your work, life, dates, marriage, love, and passions by making them more efficient? Would that make sense to you? Would you enjoy it? Would it guarantee the best results? I don’t think so. Similarly, in design, let’s avoid the efficiency trap.