Sublime

is often preferable to settle for a satisfactory solution, rather than pursue an optimal solution.1

Ideally, everyone involved in the creation of the product should know what this element is: its name and purpose, why it’s been designed that way, and how and when it should be used.

Shape and form matter. The physical feel and texture of the materials matter. Heft matters.

There are several good resources on creating visuals. Robin Williams’s The Non-Designer’s Design Book and Connie Malamed’s Visual Design Solutions are particularly good. Those books can give you a lot of guidance for creating compelling visuals, but there are a few things you should keep in mind. Know why you are adding a visual. Visuals can have a

is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This suggests that the weakest link in a chain is also the least valuable and most expendable link—a liability to the system that should be reinforced, replaced, or removed. However, the weakest element in a system can be used to protect other more important elements, essentially making th

► Understanding users' desires, needs, motivations, and contexts► Understanding business, technical, and domain opportunities, requirements, and constraints► Using this knowledge as a foundation for plans to create products whose form, content, and behavior is useful, usable, and desirable, as well as economically viable and technically feasible