Why design matters

November 2, 2009

What do the Iphone, Facebook and WordPress have in common?

Besides being some of the most well known and most used sites on the Internet, they are also noted for having beautiful, minimalistic interface design. And it is not a coincidence that they are at the forefront of the Internet revolution.

Design matters, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because it enhances user experience, reduces support costs (as users make less errors and require less training), and is a powerful competitive positioning advantage.

The Iphone became the most popular smart phone on the planet because of its beautifully sculpted design, its intuitive user interface (that competitors still have not been able to match, even after almost 3 years of trying). Facebook spread so fast in the beginning because it was simple, uncluttered and allowed users to focus on their friends rather than the frills of the interface. WordPress became the blogging platform of choice for millions really because it makes blogging a joy; it renders beautifully designed blogs perfectly and lets bloggers feel proud of their work. And because of these qualities, those products grow virally by their own unique virtues.

Usability, design, user experience all point to a more focused, disciplined and inspired approach to product design and product management process. Moreover, only at “enlightened” organizations, can design and user experience triumph over the stolid layers of bureaucracy that often plague established businesses. So the design of the product really tells a lot about the organization, and hence is directly related to how it will perform financially.

Here are two links for further information and commentary on the importance of design:

http://www.slideshare.net/firstpinkgirl/the-importance-of-user-experience-for-developers

http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/810.html

Chief Business Officer at UserTesting

Tien Anh joined UserTesting in 2015 after extensive financial and strategic experiences at OpenView, where he was an investor and advisor to a global portfolio of fast-growing enterprise SaaS companies. Until 2021, he led the Finance, IT, and Business Intelligence team as CFO of UserTesting. He currently leads initiatives for long term growth investments as Chief Business Officer at UserTesting.