Preferred to be invisible

Good design is as visible as it needs to be, often argued to be invisible. Although, as intuitive as a stop sign is, hopefully it's visible at an intersection. 


Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash


It's easy to not notice how easy a screwdriver is to use. Yet an ergonomic handle may have taken dozens of prototypes to get to the one that went into production.


Photo by Tekton on Unsplash


Or let's say you're trying to open a jar of pickles. You're using your bare hands, but the lid is too tight. You try twisting and turning and hot water but it's no use. You're frustrated.

Photo by little plant on Unsplash


Now imagine you have a jar opener. You simply place it over the lid and twist. The lid opens easily and effortlessly. The jar opener has made the existing scenario of opening a jar of pickles preferred. It's now easier, faster and more efficient.



Designers study the before and after. Design takes an existing scenario and makes it a preferred one.

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Movie inspiration with design (diegetic prototypes)

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Gradual change