G808Oct 12
JA Westenberg
‘good design’ is a psyop by people who are terrified of seeming uncool. maybe the nothing phone is tacky as hell, maybe it tries too hard and that’s why it works. bring back weird gadgets. bring back fun.
Oct 12 at 4:30amTypefully
Show threadEvan DowerOct 12
@Daojoan
As Roman Mars says, good design is 99% invisible.
Show threadTofu GolemOct 12
@Daojoan
This just makes me sad because it reminds me that the attempt to produce a modular smartphone platform failed.
Show threadPortabelloBelle🚚🇪🇺🏳️‍⚧️Oct 12

@Daojoan

I'm longlisting for a new phone just now, and Nothing is at the top of that list.
Purchase time is a while off, so that may change
As I slowly withdraw from the internet (there will still be some presence but only essentials) I will no longer need a flagship.
NothingOS seems bloatware free, and easy to operate, this last important because I'm getting old

Show threadPhil WolffOct 12
@ArabellaLovejoy @Daojoan elegance seems intrinsic to designing for olds. nearly as vital as affordances that persist for decades. and long-lived theories of how/why things work so we can figure new things out from old patterns. I still seek #magic in #design.
Show threadmancubeOct 12
@Daojoan I got a 3a pro and it's pretty nice. It was wild seeing folks have big opinions about "asymmetry." Like what in the world are their aesthetic standards even informed by? Just other consumer electronics?
Show threadGuy on the runOct 12

@mancube @Daojoan

Why do they care? They didn't buy it.

Show threadMark de Vries 🇪🇺Oct 12
@Daojoan I see ‘design’ be interpreted as form-over-function or profit-over-function too often to be put off by a seemingly weird design.
Show threadDavid Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)Oct 12

@Daojoan

Good design is easy to recognise: it doesn’t get in your way. Things like working how how people hold a phone when taking pictures and placing the camera so that it’s hard to accidentally cover it with your fingers, for example. Or putting the fingerprint reader exactly where you’re likely to have a finger when holding the device normally. Or making sure the most common UI elements are in the easiest places to hit.

Here’s an example of good design from the iPad (there are not very many, so this one stands out):

When holding it vertically in either orientation, the upper volume button increases volume and the lower one decreases volume. When you adjust the volume, you get a horizontal bar appear with the current volume. If you are holding the device horizontally, the buttons move the volume in the direction that corresponds with the volume display, so the rightmost button is the one to increase volume.

It doesn’t draw attention to itself, it just reduces your cognitive load while using the device.

These people seem to be confusing design and art. Art aims to be noticed and form an emotional connection with the observer. Design strives to be unobtrusive.

Sadly, a lot of companies don’t know the difference and so hire failed artists for designer roles.

Show threadViraptorOct 12
@david_chisnall
Alternative opinion: I did not realise until now what's so weird about iPad volume and I wish it would stop trying to be clever. I want the same button to always do the same thing to reduce my cognitive load.
@Daojoan
Show threadPeter LudemannOct 12
@david_chisnall @Daojoan Tourist maps on streets in Japan are oriented in the direction the tourist is facing, not with North at the top, as I've encountered in many other countries.
Show threadDawn AhukannaOct 12
@Daojoan always wondered about how aspirational “haute couture”:
1. Is “visually ugly”- to make a statement & for “power over” dynamics but everyone will say “what beauty!”- like “emperor’s new clothes”.
2. Has in-built temporal obsolescence - only one season or revolution round the sun
3. impracticality- I have so much time & money and need something to assuage ennui.