3 Characteristics of Good Design

During a recent #uxpinchat, I wrote this:

A3 Simplicity. Usability. Accessibility. Only then, make sure it looks lovely #uxpinchat https://t.co/R9qo1BGubd

— Steve Amara (@amarast) 17 June 2016

I believe that this triplet should apply to design in general, beyond typefaces, so I thought I would briefly specify what they encompass to me. 

Good Design is simple. It is tempting to show our user the whole palette of our skills: micro-interactions, colour fusions, gradients, obscure patterns, etc. However, the less we sophisticate our design, the more sophisticated it actually becomes... Because less is more.

Good Design is usable. If any learning curve, make it the mildest possible for the user. We design to help humans solve their problems, so how are we reaching our goal if our user can't even understand our work? We must not make our user think.

Good Design is accessible. As humans, we have different sensations, different feelings, different aptitudes. Taking these into consideration helps us optimise for easy access to our work for most, if not all. Because we design to help other humans achieve things meaningful to them.

Good Design definitely has more characteristic, but I personally believe these 3 to be the plinth.

Let's make our designs simple, usable and accessible. They will feel good and make the user feel good. Only then shall we think about making them look good.