Designing for a Purpose

Sasha Dzeletovic:

In the future of interaction design, I see devices created with their purpose hard coded into them. I see software that doesn’t have configuration options. I see people having the balls to stand behind their design. And if it fails, throw it in the garbage, note lessons learned and make a new one.

This flies in the face of the direction most companies are going. Given all the hoopla around Twitter for iPhone 4.0, and even the recently redesigned Facebook iPhone app, you have companies attempting to converge platforms and sterilize their designs. Even Apple absolutely demolished iCal and Address book in Lion. “Normal people” (non-geeks) like my wife even complain about how bad it is. Skeumorphic design, really?

I hope the trend of bigger companies snatching up smaller companies that really focused on crafting delightful experiences, and then killing that delight will end.

There are smart designers at all these companies. Stand behind your great design.

via Jeremy Johnson.

▪ Friday December 9, 2011

  • Mark Kraemer

    Facebook acquires Gowalla -  a possible next point in the pattern? Hopefully not. Maybe the first post-Gowalla release of Facebook for iPhone will be return to delight.

    • http://behindcompanies.com/ Marcelo Somers

      100% agree, but I haven’t seen a move toward more delight since they acquired Push Pop Press and Sofa. I wonder how many of those acquisitions are keeping the seat warm until they can cash out. Gowalla seems different, in that the rumors are that it was less of an acquisition and more of a closing up shop and going to work for Facebook.

      We’ll see though – I try to be an optimist about these things. Facebook has the platform to bring delightful experiences to the masses, much like Apple did with the iPhone.

  • Mark Kraemer

    Facebook acquires Gowalla -  a possible next point in the pattern? Hopefully not. Maybe the first post-Gowalla release of Facebook for iPhone will be return to delight.

    • http://behindcompanies.com/ Marcelo Somers

      100% agree, but I haven’t seen a move toward more delight since they acquired Push Pop Press and Sofa. I wonder how many of those acquisitions are keeping the seat warm until they can cash out. Gowalla seems different, in that the rumors are that it was less of an acquisition and more of a closing up shop and going to work for Facebook.

      We’ll see though – I try to be an optimist about these things. Facebook has the platform to bring delightful experiences to the masses, much like Apple did with the iPhone.

  • http://behindcompanies.com/ Marcelo Somers

    100% agree, but I haven’t seen a move toward more delight since they acquired Push Pop Press and Sofa. I wonder how many of those acquisitions are keeping the seat warm until they can cash out. Gowalla seems different, in that the rumors are that it was less of an acquisition and more of a closing up shop and going to work for Facebook.

    We’ll see though – I try to be an optimist about these things. Facebook has the platform to bring delightful experiences to the masses, much like Apple did with the iPhone.

  • http://behindcompanies.com/ Marcelo Somers

    100% agree, but I haven’t seen a move toward more delight since they acquired Push Pop Press and Sofa. I wonder how many of those acquisitions are keeping the seat warm until they can cash out. Gowalla seems different, in that the rumors are that it was less of an acquisition and more of a closing up shop and going to work for Facebook.

    We’ll see though – I try to be an optimist about these things. Facebook has the platform to bring delightful experiences to the masses, much like Apple did with the iPhone.