Design is how it works, not what it looks like

Jobs, in an interview with Rob Walker for his terrific 2003 New York Times Magazine profile on the creation of the iPod, said:

Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

Bears repeating. Over and over and over and over again.

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4 responses
Hi Garry,
I followed a link on your site about Rebecca Saxe, brain scientist, giving an address at a conference. I'm starting a comic blog commentary about lots of things and I used her address as a launch pad for a little ironic commentary. Let me know if you, as the link portal I used, think my comment is a) funny b) in bad taste c) both. Thanks, Douglas Day (I opened a posterous account just today and am experimenting with this medium)
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