Good Design Needs No Explanation
This week we read “Physical Computing’s Greatest Hits and Misses” and “Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen.” These readings made me think about how we interact with objects.
In my opinion, the main factor for a brilliant design is intuition. It should be unnoticeable. It should not require an instruction manual. I am a self-proclaimed kinesthetic learner. This means I learn by doing. I despise manuals. When I get something new, I like to jump in headfirst and discover how it works.
The reading on “Greatest Hits and Misses” talks about reliability and clarity. However, modern tech companies often ignore this. They prioritize simple, sleek designs to look futuristic. This often sacrifices intuitivity.
For example, you might have to double tap the back of a phone to take a screenshot. Or you have to triple tap to turn on a flash. These are hidden secrets, not clear controls.
I have a personal example of this. I used to go into the settings menu on my phone every time I wanted to turn on noise cancellation on my AirPods. Eventually, someone pointed out that I can just hold the stem of the AirPod to change the mode. I felt silly, but I shouldn’t have. The design gave me no clue that the feature existed.
Of course, there are exceptions. An airplane cockpit is very complex. It has hundreds of buttons. This affords complexity because knowledge is a prerequisite. You have to go to flight school to fly a plane.
But for everyday items or art, we should not need flight school.
This connects to the second reading, “Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen.” This text argues that an artist should not stand next to their work and explain it.
If you let a user interact with your art without context, and they do it wrong, that is important data. It does not mean the user is stupid. It means the design is flawed or unintuitive.
As a designer, you have to set the stage. You have to give clues through the shape and feel of the object. If you have to write a manual for your art installation, you have failed to make a connection. Good interaction is about letting the user figure it out with their own hands.