Eighth Law - Trust
The eighth law is TRUST – In simplicity we trust. Simplicity requires a certain level of trust. Maeda gives example about learning to swim – that moment when you realize that you could always swim but until that point you didn’t trust the water. Great design helps instill that sense of trust. He describes how audio maker Bang & Olufsen’s products aim to achieve this – by utilizing impeccable design and simplicity, the products persuade listeners to “relax, lean back”. Maeda offers that “we can only truly relax when we trust that we’re in the finest hands and are treated with the best intentions.”
Similarly, the omakase principle of deferring to the sushi chef’s recommendations is representative of enhancing an experience through simplicity-induced trust. We need to balance that type of simplicity vs. the simplicity of the “undo” feature which is clearly just a matter of convenience. It is just like the “Apple + Z” that most designers use so often. It is the trust that the computer gives to us so we could make mistake and experiment without worrying redoing. It might not be the best way for designer but it has became a part of us. My friends and I often thinking about “Apple +Z” while we are doing something else not on computer.
We also need to consistently keep stock of what we may be forfeiting (privacy) in order to instill simplicity into the systems around us. If a design could give us confident to trust, then we could have trust in our own to use or follow the design.
-mei-
3 years ago