Culture Clash #291 - Challenging utilitarian product design
Putting play, aesthetics and quality of life over utility
A few weeks ago, Andy Allen, the former lead designer, and creator of Paper, released his latest project to the world. Andy is an opinionated product designer who has been in the app game for a while. He recently published a manifesto on this blog, titled No More Boring Apps. Here’s a brief excerpt:
Every day millions of new dollars are invested, hundreds of new apps are launched, and the world is becoming a better place one convenience at a time. Apps have become an intimate part of our everyday lives. We wake up with them, eat with them, pee with them, and go to bed with them. Software has eaten the world, and many seem ready to hail this as the golden age of Design.
And it's time to burn it all.
The world of apps—once an exciting canvas for creative exploration—has become repetitive, predictable, and… boring.
Seriously, I can't tell one app from the next.
No More Boring Apps is an inspired rallying cry to push the envelope in product design.
But these type of posts tend to be a dime a dozen. A medium-like design puff piece rarely comes with any conviction to back it up. In the case of the No More Boring Apps manifesto, Andy chose to back up his words with deliberate action. Under the same moniker, he’s chosen to release 3 new iPhone apps: Timer, Weather, Calculator. These apps are Andy’s first step in challenging the status quo in app design. The apps are bold and experimental.
Andy’s thesis is that apps should be more delightful, playful, and full of whimsy.
It’s time to we put play, aesthetics and quality-of-life over efficiencies.
Apps should feel like a unique hand made experience. More like a great craft beer or a piece of design furniture. Andy chose to start with the most mundance utilitarian apps we use every day. These apps usually come pre-installed on a smartphone. They are the apps most people end up using by default.
One important detail. Andy is selling these apps as a bundle subscription for either $15/year for the Believer Plan or $70/Year for the Patron plan. The approach feels somewhat like an artist sponsorship program. With this subscription, you have the opportunity to sponsor his experiments. I believe in anyone who is genuinely trying to push the field forward and shake things up. Why shouldn’t they get paid for their creativity?
It’s been interesting to watch the design community reaction to this commercial experiment. The feedback has been fairly polarizing.
By my account, Andy’s initial experiment is quite successful. The apps are incredibly fun to use. They’re beautifully designed, displaying data and information in a big bold 3D typeface. The animations are fluid and entertaining. All the interactions are touch based and do not involve hunting and pecking at menus. Finally and most impressively, the apps don’t compromise the core utility. In fact the apps’ experiential nature, makes you engage with their utility even more.
Looking for more info:
Fast Company covered Andy’s launch in this great piece - The designer behind one of the iPad’s biggest apps is calling for an end to minimalism.
Hear more from Andy about his design philosophy, check out this recent Metamuse podcast episode.
5 Links
✍🏻 Persuading the Unpersuadable
The perspective in this article is invaluable to all product and design thinkers. Typically in the path to creating a great product or experience is your ability to persuade stakeholders to try a new approach. Steve Jobs’ greatest leadership trait may be his ability to surround himself with colleagues who can convince him to change his mind.
Almost every leader has studied the genius of Jobs, but surprisingly few have studied the genius of those who managed to influence him. As an organizational psychologist, I’ve spent time with a number of people who succeeded in motivating him to think again, and I’ve analyzed the science behind their techniques.
✍🏻 Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design
Yes, this is not a very sexy story. But I’m honestly surprised we don’t see more stories like this every day. In this case, bad UI design in combination with how creditor laws work in NY state created a massive financial mistake.
A federal judge has ruled that Citibank isn't entitled to the return of $500 million it sent to various creditors last August. Kludgey software and a poorly designed user interface contributed to the massive screwup.
✍🏻 Minimal iPhone apps need to go, says this hit app designer
Michael Calore, a senior editor at Wired, shared really excellent recommendations in the Gadget Lab podcast every week. This is how I discovered this fantastic news website. It offers a perspective on tech and culture from a non-western perspective.
Rest of World is an international nonprofit journalism organization. We document what happens when technology, culture and the human experience collide, in places that are typically overlooked and underestimated. We believe the story about technology is as big as the world that’s using it, and that everyone — from those building technology to those using it — can benefit from a broader global perspective.
✍🏻 Healthcare Workers’ Homescreens
This is an example of a great story from the Rest of the World Website (see above). I love this kind of content.
Healthcare workers from seven countries show us their homescreen and talk about their lives during the pandemic.