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Journal Infonaut's Journal: Design does matter 6

Journal by Infonaut
Dell is massive. They're the computer company everyone is supposed to be like. So why can't they design like Apple? I think the success of the iPod line has finally shown everyone why Apple customers are so loyal. Design really does matter, as this hilarious account on Daring Fireball shows.
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Design does matter More

Design does matter

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  • People will pay for funtion first, and then form. The iPod is an example where the form (design) is so appealing, that people are willing to pay a premium for it. There are other players with similar specs that cost less, but they still don't have the iPod's amazing GUI and physical form.

    I worked at a deisgn firm that designed the signage and sign placement for the AirTrain system at JFK airport in NYC. The amount of time and money it takes to plan that kind of job is much, much larger than you would

    • I don't think Jonathan Ive believes in a form/function dichotomy. In his world, form not only follows function, it IS function.

      That, and the real success of the iPod is heavily dependent on the iTunes software, into which the iPod is nicely integrated. The power and ease of use of controlling flow of music from your CD collection to your player is a key component of the user experience.

      Dell could do a better job of design, but Michael Dell's attitude is that engineers and designers are cattle, so that

    • good design is not cheap

      No doubt, that's the bottom line. As you pointed out, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to have both kick-ass design and rock-bottom prices.

      If you're selling consumer products, you can differentiate yourself from the competition in a number of ways. If you had to distill the Dell approach down to one element, it would be price. The Apple approach, similarly distilled, would be user experience. Admittedly in the real world companies seldom put all their eggs in one ba

      • I didn't say the signage for the AirTrain was and good, I just comented on the work that went into it.

        It's been too long since I have been to Europe to remember the signage. However, Western Europe in general seems more concerned with human experience than us Americans.

        and because Americans are less concerned with design, Apple's Computers (not the iPod) will stay where they are- on the fringe for those of us that have a clue. (nothing against Win/Linux)
    • Who cares about design, really? I just want a small mp3 player that I can download books onto. Anybody out there know which one? Ipod? Ditty?
      • Who cares about design, really?

        I think we just established that at least a few people do care about design. Even if you don't think you care about design, you may miss good design when it's not present. For example, the poorly-designed VCR interfaces that have plagued us all for years were not enough of a hindrance to keep people from buying them, but the bad design likely kept many if not most users from using many of the features of their VCRs. The same thing is true of MP3 players. The simplicity of t

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