Apple design chief Jony Ive gave a group of designers several tips at London’s Design Museum last evening.
Here are a few of the memorable quotes from Jony Ive shared by UX designer Joseph Shaffery:
[su_quote]On caring
Failing to care enough about the work you are doing is personally offensive. What we make testifies who we are. People can sense care and can sense carelessness. This relates to respect for each other and carelessness is personally offensive.
On focus
Make each product the best it can be. Focus on form and materials. What we don’t include is as important as what we do include […]. There is a clear goal and it isn’t to make money. The goal is to desperately try to make the best products we can. We are not naive – if you trust it, people like it, they buy it and we make money. This is a consequence.
On failing:
Shouldn’t be afraid to fail- if we are not failing we are not pushing. 80% in the studio is not going to work. If something is not good enough, stop doing it. Ive also repeated comments he’s made in the past about his attitude to copycats. Eight years of work can be copied in six months. It wasn’t inevitable that it was going to work. A stolen design is stolen time. Is it flattering? No.
On user experience
Why is it when we have a bad experience with a product, we assume it is us (the user), but a bad experience with food, we blame the food?!
On value
What we make testifies who we are. People can sense care and can sense carelessness. This relates to respect for each other and carelessness is personally offensive.
On design
Make each product the best it can be. Focus on form and materials. What we don’t include is as important as what we do include.
On ideas and creativity
The best ideas start as conversations. A small change at the beginning of the design process defines an entirely different product at the end. At the start of the process the idea is just a thought- very fragile and exclusive. When the first physical manifestation is created everything changes. It is no longer exclusive, now it involves a lot of people. To do something innovative means that you reject reason.
On motivation at Apple
There is a clear goal and it isn’t to make money. The goal is to desperately try to make the best products we can. We are not naive – if you trust it, people like it, they buy it and we make money. This is a consequence.
On design theft
Eight years of work can be copied in six months. It wasn’t inevitable that it was going to work. A stolen design is stolen time.
Is it flattering?… No[/su_quote]
The three key take away from the event are as follow:
- Learn how to care
- Learn how to focus
- Be prepared to screw up and throw things away
via 9to5 Mac
