“The designer… has a passion for doing something that fits somebody’s needs, but that is not just a simple fix. The designer has a dream that goes beyond what exists, rather than fixing what exists… the designer wants to create a solution that fits in a deeper situational or social sense.” – David Kelley, Founder of IDEO, in Bringing Design to Software by Terry Winograd

Purchase Bringing Design to Software here or check out an interview with David Kelley for some interesting insights on design.

1. Understanding the specific activity we’re supporting is critical to good design
2. Designers must deliver not just beautification, but substantial change
3. Design should never say, “Look at me.” It should always say, “Look at this.”
4. Designers must consider unseen elements such as social relationships, power dynamics, and cultural rules
5. Designers take what is just a faint glimmer in the mind’s eye and give it shape and life