5 Things Steve Jobs Taught Me About Design

With the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder, I got to reflecting on what are some of the key learnings and takeaways of his design genius that he imparted on our industry and me personally.

1. Design is powerful.
Good design is powerful and something that is well-designed from the inside out has the ability to make a huge impact. Steve Jobs famously said that "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." A product that is well-crafted—whether it is digital or physical—can inspire a reaction and action from people.

2. Designs should be tasteful.
Sleek, sophisticated, exquisite, and even cute are some of the adjectives that can be associated with Apple products. Even if something works well but has no design esthetic, it will be a hard sell. Functionality and finesse weaved together are a winning formula.

3. Keep it user-friendly and interactive.
Easy to use, engaging, and fun are what keep people interested and invested. A learning curve is okay but it should be intuitive and fast. Anything new would require some degree of learning. Apple products are easy to use and there is a learning curve but they are designed with the tenets of simplicity and usability in mind.

4. Keep iterating.
To take a page from the Steve Jobs design playbook, even a good design can be improved upon. He kept improving upon his products and making what was already great even better and better.

5. Think different.
Designs that push the boundaries and don't fit the norm but are innovative and futuristic are what epitomizes Apple products. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and be creative in designing solutions that are pleasing to your users.