Tanvi Mehta · Mar 23, 2025 · 2 min read
Good Design Is a Solution to Bad Design, Until It Isn't
Tanvi Mehta · Mar 23, 2025 · 2 min read
Good Design Is a Solution to Bad Design, Until It Isn't
Tanvi Mehta · Mar 23, 2025 · 2 min read
Good Design Is a Solution to Bad Design, Until It Isn't
Good design isn't permanent. It's a snapshot of what worked at one moment in time.
Good design isn't permanent. It's a snapshot of what worked at one moment in time.
Good design isn't permanent. It's a snapshot of what worked at one moment in time.
We love to sort designs into "good" and "bad," as if the label sticks forever. It doesn't. A design that fixes today's problem can easily turn into tomorrow's problem. That's not failure. That's just how progress works.
We love to sort designs into "good" and "bad," as if the label sticks forever. It doesn't. A design that fixes today's problem can easily turn into tomorrow's problem. That's not failure. That's just how progress works.
We love to sort designs into "good" and "bad," as if the label sticks forever. It doesn't. A design that fixes today's problem can easily turn into tomorrow's problem. That's not failure. That's just how progress works.
When Good Design Can't Keep Up:
When Good Design Can't Keep Up:
When Good Design Can't Keep Up:
Look at Bangalore's roads. When the city built many of them, they fit the traffic just fine. They were practical, sensible, and well planned for the city that existed back then. Then the city exploded. Millions more people and cars arrived, and those same roads now choke every rush hour. The design didn't get worse. The city outgrew it.
Look at Bangalore's roads. When the city built many of them, they fit the traffic just fine. They were practical, sensible, and well planned for the city that existed back then. Then the city exploded. Millions more people and cars arrived, and those same roads now choke every rush hour. The design didn't get worse. The city outgrew it.
Look at Bangalore's roads. When the city built many of them, they fit the traffic just fine. They were practical, sensible, and well planned for the city that existed back then. Then the city exploded. Millions more people and cars arrived, and those same roads now choke every rush hour. The design didn't get worse. The city outgrew it.
Kodak is the sharper example. A Kodak engineer built the first digital camera in 1975. Kodak owned the future, then sat on it, because its whole business ran on film. Canon and Sony didn't hesitate. Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Kodak is the sharper example. A Kodak engineer built the first digital camera in 1975. Kodak owned the future, then sat on it, because its whole business ran on film. Canon and Sony didn't hesitate. Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Kodak is the sharper example. A Kodak engineer built the first digital camera in 1975. Kodak owned the future, then sat on it, because its whole business ran on film. Canon and Sony didn't hesitate. Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
So here's the uncomfortable truth. Bad design isn't always the result of bad planning. Sometimes a design is right for years, and its limits only show up once the world moves on. That's why the real skill isn't just designing well. It's building in room to revisit and rebuild.
So here's the uncomfortable truth. Bad design isn't always the result of bad planning. Sometimes a design is right for years, and its limits only show up once the world moves on. That's why the real skill isn't just designing well. It's building in room to revisit and rebuild.
So here's the uncomfortable truth. Bad design isn't always the result of bad planning. Sometimes a design is right for years, and its limits only show up once the world moves on. That's why the real skill isn't just designing well. It's building in room to revisit and rebuild.
The Right Design at the Right Time:
The Right Design at the Right Time:
The Right Design at the Right Time:
Great design isn't just about solving the problem. It also has to land when people are ready for it.
Great design isn't just about solving the problem. It also has to land when people are ready for it.
Great design isn't just about solving the problem. It also has to land when people are ready for it.
In 1989, Marc Porat sketched out the Pocket Crystal, a pocket device that could make calls, send messages, and manage your life. Sound familiar? His company, General Magic, actually shipped devices in the mid-'90s, and they flopped. They were bulky and slow, and they showed up before the networks and the public were ready.
In 1989, Marc Porat sketched out the Pocket Crystal, a pocket device that could make calls, send messages, and manage your life. Sound familiar? His company, General Magic, actually shipped devices in the mid-'90s, and they flopped. They were bulky and slow, and they showed up before the networks and the public were ready.
In 1989, Marc Porat sketched out the Pocket Crystal, a pocket device that could make calls, send messages, and manage your life. Sound familiar? His company, General Magic, actually shipped devices in the mid-'90s, and they flopped. They were bulky and slow, and they showed up before the networks and the public were ready.
Now fast-forward to 2007. Tony Fadell, who had worked at General Magic, helped Apple build the iPhone. By then, the pieces had finally lined up: faster chips, mobile data, touchscreens, and people who already carried iPods everywhere. It was basically the same dream, just 18 years later.
Now fast-forward to 2007. Tony Fadell, who had worked at General Magic, helped Apple build the iPhone. By then, the pieces had finally lined up: faster chips, mobile data, touchscreens, and people who already carried iPods everywhere. It was basically the same dream, just 18 years later.
Now fast-forward to 2007. Tony Fadell, who had worked at General Magic, helped Apple build the iPhone. By then, the pieces had finally lined up: faster chips, mobile data, touchscreens, and people who already carried iPods everywhere. It was basically the same dream, just 18 years later.
The idea was never the problem. The timing was.
The idea was never the problem. The timing was.
The idea was never the problem. The timing was.
When Design Is Broken From Day One:
When Design Is Broken From Day One:
When Design Is Broken From Day One:
To be fair, not all bad design waits for time to expose it. Some of it is broken the moment it ships, usually because someone put looks ahead of use.
To be fair, not all bad design waits for time to expose it. Some of it is broken the moment it ships, usually because someone put looks ahead of use.
To be fair, not all bad design waits for time to expose it. Some of it is broken the moment it ships, usually because someone put looks ahead of use.
Take Apple's Magic Mouse. It's gorgeous, sleek and minimal. But the charging port sits on the bottom. Plug it in, and the mouse flips on its back like a dead beetle, so you can't use it until it charges. Apple even moved the mouse to USB-C and left the port right where it was. That's not good design aging badly. It's form beating function on day one.
Take Apple's Magic Mouse. It's gorgeous, sleek and minimal. But the charging port sits on the bottom. Plug it in, and the mouse flips on its back like a dead beetle, so you can't use it until it charges. Apple even moved the mouse to USB-C and left the port right where it was. That's not good design aging badly. It's form beating function on day one.
Take Apple's Magic Mouse. It's gorgeous, sleek and minimal. But the charging port sits on the bottom. Plug it in, and the mouse flips on its back like a dead beetle, so you can't use it until it charges. Apple even moved the mouse to USB-C and left the port right where it was. That's not good design aging badly. It's form beating function on day one.
When Users Rewrite the Plan:
When Users Rewrite the Plan:
When Users Rewrite the Plan:
Here's my favorite part. People rarely use a product the way its makers planned.
Here's my favorite part. People rarely use a product the way its makers planned.
Here's my favorite part. People rarely use a product the way its makers planned.
The "jobs to be done" idea explains why. People don't just buy products. They hire them to do a job in their lives, and over time, that job can change.
The "jobs to be done" idea explains why. People don't just buy products. They hire them to do a job in their lives, and over time, that job can change.
The "jobs to be done" idea explains why. People don't just buy products. They hire them to do a job in their lives, and over time, that job can change.
Instagram started as a simple photo-filter app. Then users turned it into something else entirely: a storefront, a creator business, a daily diary. Instagram didn't fight that shift. It followed its users and added Stories, shopping, and creator analytics. That's why it's still around while plenty of photo apps from 2010 aren't.
Instagram started as a simple photo-filter app. Then users turned it into something else entirely: a storefront, a creator business, a daily diary. Instagram didn't fight that shift. It followed its users and added Stories, shopping, and creator analytics. That's why it's still around while plenty of photo apps from 2010 aren't.
Instagram started as a simple photo-filter app. Then users turned it into something else entirely: a storefront, a creator business, a daily diary. Instagram didn't fight that shift. It followed its users and added Stories, shopping, and creator analytics. That's why it's still around while plenty of photo apps from 2010 aren't.
So good design doesn't just solve the problem you started with. It keeps watching how people actually use the thing, then adapts. Cling to the original plan, and you'll get left behind.
So good design doesn't just solve the problem you started with. It keeps watching how people actually use the thing, then adapts. Cling to the original plan, and you'll get left behind.
So good design doesn't just solve the problem you started with. It keeps watching how people actually use the thing, then adapts. Cling to the original plan, and you'll get left behind.
The Lifecycle of Design:
The Lifecycle of Design:
The Lifecycle of Design:
Most designs follow the same loop. A problem shows up, and someone builds a solution. It works for a while. Then the world shifts, the solution starts to creak, and the loop starts again.
Most designs follow the same loop. A problem shows up, and someone builds a solution. It works for a while. Then the world shifts, the solution starts to creak, and the loop starts again.
Most designs follow the same loop. A problem shows up, and someone builds a solution. It works for a while. Then the world shifts, the solution starts to creak, and the loop starts again.
So stop chasing the perfect design, because it doesn't exist. Build things that can bend: modular, scalable, and easy to change when the next problem arrives.
So stop chasing the perfect design, because it doesn't exist. Build things that can bend: modular, scalable, and easy to change when the next problem arrives.
So stop chasing the perfect design, because it doesn't exist. Build things that can bend: modular, scalable, and easy to change when the next problem arrives.
Embrace the Cycle:
Embrace the Cycle:
Embrace the Cycle:
Good design is always an answer to bad design. And it's always the first draft of the next problem. That's not something to fear. Today's solutions set up tomorrow's challenges, and designers who expect that shift stay curious, flexible, and one step ahead.
Good design is always an answer to bad design. And it's always the first draft of the next problem. That's not something to fear. Today's solutions set up tomorrow's challenges, and designers who expect that shift stay curious, flexible, and one step ahead.
Good design is always an answer to bad design. And it's always the first draft of the next problem. That's not something to fear. Today's solutions set up tomorrow's challenges, and designers who expect that shift stay curious, flexible, and one step ahead.