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Design Surrounds Us

Design surrounds us. But it is not always seen—instead, it is experienced. And that can be for better or for worse. Truthfully, we tend not to notice design (i.e., the immense intentionality behind everyday experiences) unless there is an overt design failure drawing our attention to the matter. In which case, of course, we suddenly all become engineers and architects full of constructive criticism.

Who the hell designed this? Purdue engineers would never—

I remember thinking that exact line, nearly two years ago as I was heading to the airport with a 25-pound suitcase in tow, across bridge after bridge in Venice, Italy. It wasn’t until I was approaching the airport, though, that I reconciled with a surprisingly modern bridge that elicited the worst frustration. Because that surprisingly modern bridge—let me tell you, it had no business being so poorly designed.

It was tiered with miniature, step-like fixtures every two-to-four feet on the ascent. So I simply couldn’t roll my suitcase, other tourists couldn’t roll theirs, and in having to try and stop at each step, haul it up to the next, and then roll onwards another two feet—it was an embarrassing traffic jam (and also an embarrassing display of upper-body strength).

Perhaps whoever designed it simply wanted to laugh at the tourists as they exited the city.

Because it certainly wasn’t because the designer sought genuine solutions for efficiency, traffic-flow, and accessibility for the masses while entering the airport. I have since learned that this interaction was the result of failed industrial design, the optimization of systems for mutual benefit.

One observation I’ve made, whether it be regarding a silly bridge or the latest iPhone updates, is that we have to reconcile our desire to push the envelope with our desire to maintain intuitive, familiar functioning. It was not until I began reading Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things that instances like this were put into perspective for me. 

The primary take away is that simplicity is key, right? But how can we apply that to a world that is always pushing forward? A world insistent on complicating itself for the sake of supposedly making our lives easier?

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