> The iDVD team spend weeks working on a user interface that they think works. Jobs comes into the meeting, stops them halfway through, ignores their complicated workflows, and draws a simple rectangle which has a single "BURN" button on it. His great skill wasn't design, but editing and empathy.
That's not editing, that's literally throwing everything away and forcing his vision on them. Precisely what I'm talking about. And "empathy" is not a word I'd use to describe Steve Jobs, who by all accounts was a terrible jerk.
> Design being architecture and the implementation. Vision != design.
Maybe a better title for this post would have been, "The cult of product leader dictatorship." When I wrote design, I didn't mean industrial design or UI design, but product design and leadership. My fault for being unclear.
> WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
On reading this post again 6 months after I wrote it, those are indeed strong words that don't really reflect 37 Signal's attitude. My words, not theirs.
> That's not editing, that's literally throwing everything away
Throwing stuff away is editing. Sigh.
> and forcing his vision on them. Precisely what I'm talking about.
1. His vision was "a simple experience for the user". iDVD didn't end up with a simple rectangle and a single button marked "Burn". He refocused his teams around simplicity and ease of use.
2. I note that you've avoided responding to the other parts of my response in which I inquire as to whether you believe all designers in history are "forcing" their "vision" on others.
> And "empathy" is not a word I'd use to describe Steve Jobs, who by all accounts was a terrible jerk.
Product design is all about empathy with users. Steve Jobs was blessed with that in abundance. If you attribute Apple's success to his vision and design, then you have to acknowledge that users love their hardware and software. Jobs was great at cutting through bullshit and getting himself, his team, his engineers and designers -- who are all highly technical 'power users' -- to be humble and remove themselves from the equation and build something for mass consumption.
That's not editing, that's literally throwing everything away and forcing his vision on them. Precisely what I'm talking about. And "empathy" is not a word I'd use to describe Steve Jobs, who by all accounts was a terrible jerk.
> Design being architecture and the implementation. Vision != design.
Maybe a better title for this post would have been, "The cult of product leader dictatorship." When I wrote design, I didn't mean industrial design or UI design, but product design and leadership. My fault for being unclear.
> WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
On reading this post again 6 months after I wrote it, those are indeed strong words that don't really reflect 37 Signal's attitude. My words, not theirs.