TrippingWords unalterated verbiage

Design Philosophy Explained – The Logic behind the Fluff

The word “philosophy” is often used as a jargon-laden indicator relating to complex problems and metaphysical abstractness but what does “design philosophy” imply both in terms of its theoretical weight and as a subject of study? In this piece, I will attempt to explicitly define ‘philosophy’ within the context of design, in more idiot-proof parlance.

Philosophy in its most fundamental definition refers to logic and reason; the ability to deductively explain any occurrence or perceived phenomenon (aesthetic or otherwise) in a systematic and concise manner. Therefore design philosophy entails a close critical examination of the rationale behind certain aesthetic/visual choices and expressions. The primary component of philosophy is the practice of transparency and accountability, the idea that there is a logical and methodical explanation to the development and application of all design concepts and ideas. 

User experience (UX) analysis (how people experience design) is a traditional subset of design philosophy. Under the paradigm of UX, the design in question is evaluated according to a set of predefined principles and these guidelines are then systematically applied into the design process. Design philosophy is the science of experiencing design. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of commonly discussed philosophical elements in design.

KISS Principle (“Keep it simple stupid”)

Although some might argue that the “KISS” principle is more of an informally constructed backronym rather than a philosophical assertion, it is perhaps one of the most widely utilised and has been ingrained in much of contemporary design colloquiums. The objective of KISS philosophy is self-explanatory; extravagance and frills are shelved aside for a neat, functional and uniform aesthetic that is visually pleasing but not over-imposing. Minimalism appears to be a direct derivation of the KISS philosophy. A minimalist design doesn’t attract attention through traditional visual indicators (e.g.: bright colours, elaborate illustrations), but rather it ‘demands’ to be looked at under a very sophisticated light. In its most basic definition, minimalism refers to an aesthetic tactic in art where the subject is reduced (“stripped down”) to its most fundamental and necessary elements. There is no space for an in-depth review of minimalism here, but I’ve written about it elsewhere.

User-Centred Design (UCD)

In the broadest of generalisations, user-centred design (UCD) is a philosophy focused on end-user behaviour and is a crucial component of the user experience (UX) analysis. Unlike, the KISS doctrine, UCD involves two central problem-solving stages. The first stage entails a thorough evaluation of how users are likely to interact and use a particular interface. Exclusive emphasis is placed on the logic of anticipation; having the required foresight to understand the myriad of ways in which users would react in various hypothetical scenarios. A rather (over)simplified example would the kind of information that should be displayed on a 404 Error Page. Will there be links to a categorised archive of older posts or a simple text link back to the primary page? If the 404-page was triggered by an invalid search query (it happens!), should the user be presented with a return of similar sounding words or related topics? These are some of the questions that concern the first stage of the UCD method.

The second aspect of UCD is a corrective mechanism that tests if assumptions on user-related behaviour are indeed in tandem with the experiences faced with a group of real users or beta-testers, a web usability-test routine which I’ve previously tackled.  In a nutshell user-centred design pays exclusive attention to user actions and works on the basis of logically predicting what kind of user interactions can occur in various contexts. This is followed by empirical tests in real-world usability scenarios.

Phenomenological Approaches to Design

Regular readers of Tripping Words would be familiar with my passion for the experiential dimension of design, i.e. how as users, we are immersed in the ‘online’ experience. Phenomenology, a philosophical movement pioneered by German thinker Edmund Husserl, is a precise study of conscious experience. How do we experience ‘experience’? Phenomenology is a rigorous exercise dedicated towards studying consciousness and when applied to design, it opens up debates about how users ‘live through’ specific design concepts. It attempts to create a suitable environment for the objective study of topics usually regarded as subjective: consciousness and the content of conscious experiences such as judgments and emotions. I’ll now attempt to illustrate a practical example where phenomenology is evoked.

For a phenomenological researcher, he/she would be solely interested in perception. Here are a few questions which approach design from a phenomenological standpoint.

What does a user feel emotionally at that instantaneous split-second moment when the first page of the website loads up?

What is the first on-page element noticed by the viewer, assuming that all the elements on the page load up at around the same time?

What pages does the user visit just after leaving the website in question?

What kind of responses do users leave in the comments section and do any of these responses reflect a comprehensive understanding of the original material posted?

Phenomenology is the most intricate of philosophical concepts and more research and theoretical work needs to be conducted before it can be considered as one of the mainstream theories in design philosophy.

End Remarks

There you have it, a summarised conceptualisation of a few major themes in the philosophy of design. If you have questions, comments or any ideas at all no matter how simple or complex, please post away in the comments section and I’ll be more than happy to address your concerns in the best way I can.