3 ideas on how software design can impact culture

I felt like I could run through a wall when I first read no more boring apps.

Immediately, Andy Allen became one of my design heroes.

Now I use his Not Boring apps daily.

You know what the best part about having a podcast is??

I get to ask my heroes anything I want :)

So here are three ideas from Andy that are currently living rent-free in my brain 👇

👓 Why great design ISN'T invisible

You've probably seen a version of this quote from Jared Spool before:

"Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it"

But what about GREAT design?

Let's look at architecture as an example... <1% of buildings can be classified as architecture. Most are invisible at best and ugly at worst.

True architecture thoughtfully pushes the boundaries and expands our understanding of how a space can be shaped.

It's the same for software design 👇

"Great design jumps out at you a bit. It gets you to pause and admire just like a beautiful building."- Andy Allen

Talking with Andy reminded me of this recent tweet from Scott 👇

Good design is familiar. Great design makes you a little uncomfortable.

Which is why Andy mentions how as humans we have a "certain budget for new things before it becomes overwhelming". This is why Not Boring apps use standard settings menus, share sheets, etc.

You shouldn't strive for greatness everywhere.

The key is to pick the highest leverage areas to make a statement... like the world's most satisfying checkbox.

📈 When design can be a differentiator

We live in a world of feature-differentiated products.

If you want to stand out, then you find ways to add more functionality, more power, etc.

So what does it mean to be design-differentiated?

Here's the question Andy asked himself when beginning his journey to create Not Boring 👇

"What if we did exactly the same stuff but we did it differently?"

When I wrote about my 9 favorite design details in Arc, they weren't that feature-differentiated from legacy browsers...

But the way I feel using Arc is night and day compared to Chrome.

That is design-differentiation.

And the more mature your industry, the greater your opportunity to use design to establish a strategic advantage.

"It's not about what you do, it's how you do it"
— Andy Allen

🏛️ How software design can impact culture

Software has largely become a tool for business which is why Andy challenges you to ask yourself...

"Why did I get into design? Am I in this to serve some business OKR?"

If the answer is yes...

1. That's totally ok!

2. I highly recommend this episode with Mia Blume​

But a lot of designers like Andy got into design to contribute something back to culture.

And I'm starting to think that AI will birth a new generation of software "artists".

Why artists?

Well, AI is about to close the time investment gap between painting and writing code by an order of magnitude. It will be cheaper and easier for designers to write software than ever before.

So what is the equivalent of a modern art gallery for software... where the art/code is the destination and no longer a means to a business outcome?

Idk... but I'm excited to find out :)

🤔 Creating software that is not boring

There's a LOT more where that came from...

In this week's episode, we go behind-the-scenes with Andy Allen to learn about his founder journey, talk about the state of software design today, and get a glimpse of where we're headed next as an industry 👀

Some more highlights:

• The design tools Andy is most excited about

• Andy’s advice for people wanting to learn 3D

• The 4 things needed for design to have real cultural impact

• How AI will empower us to deliver tailored software at scale

• Why the future of design tooling might mirror the game industry

Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts 👇