design-lens

design-lens — eight lenses for great design

Design is making something with intention — deciding what matters most so you build something people genuinely value. Every element you add spends a person's attention, and attention is finite. So much of design is subtraction: deciding what not to build.

These are eight lenses, not a scorecard. There's no formula — leaning into one often costs another (simple vs. flexible, freedom vs. safety). Naming that trade-off and choosing deliberately is the craft. Reason with judgment, not a checklist.

The deeper reference — each lens expanded with failure modes and examples — is in references/design-principles.md. This file is the working tool.

The eight lenses

1. Purpose — What is this for, and what can be cut? The first filter on everything. If an element doesn't serve the core job, remove it. Every feature costs attention; make each earn it.

2. Agency — Can people do it their way? Offer real choices; don't force a single path; let people move at their own pace. Pair with a safety net: make actions undoable, confirm before destructive ones, and interrupt only when someone's about to make a real mistake (interruptions are a cost — spend them rarely). Recoverability is what makes people feel free.

3. Responsibility — Am I acting in this person's interest?

   • Privacy: ask for data or permissions in context, only when needed, explain why, and collect the minimum. Don't front-load demands before the person knows what your product does.
   • Safety: ask How could this be misused? Who could be harmed? How do I prevent it? Especially for AI features, which can produce wrong or harmful output — add safeguards (previews, confirmations, disclaimers) or cut the feature if the risk outweighs the value.

4. Familiarity — Am I building on what people already know? Use conventional patterns and icons; don't reinvent common actions or repurpose a known symbol to mean something else. Be consistent — same appearance implies same behavior, and keep actions in predictable places so people act without having to think.

5. Flexibility — Does it fit real, varied use? Adapt to context (the same task differs at a desk vs. on the move), to each device's strengths, and to a range of abilities (accessibility, language, expertise). When no single layout fits everyone, let people personalize — rearrange or hide what they don't use.

6. Simplicity — Is there exactly enough — no more, no less? Simple ≠ minimal (hiding everything is minimal, not simple). Be concise (plain language, fewer steps) and clear (strong hierarchy through order, spacing, and contrast, so the most important thing is the most obvious). Every element earns its place. Counter-move: sometimes clarity means adding the right context, not removing.

7. Craft — Does every detail say "someone cared"? Sloppy work — lag, jank, misalignment, layouts that break on resize — erodes trust; polish builds it. The materials that matter: type, color (including dark mode), iconography, motion with immediate feedback, and reliable foundations. Craft is iteration plus maintenance over time — it has longevity.

8. Delight — What emotion is this creating, and does the design reinforce it? Not bolted-on flourishes. Decide the feeling you want (calm, confident, capable) and reinforce it throughout. Delight emerges from getting the other seven right — you don't sprinkle it on at the end.

How to use this in different situations

• Designing something new → run the lenses forward. Start at Purpose (what's the core, what do I cut?), work through to Craft, and let Delight be the through-line — not a final garnish.
• Reviewing / critiquing (including UI code review) → run the self-audit below and report concrete gaps tied to a specific lens, not vague "make it nicer." Lead with the highest-leverage fix.
• A single decision or component (a button, a permission prompt, an undo, an empty state, a feature-cut call) → jump to the relevant lens(es). "Should we add this?" → Purpose + Responsibility
  • Simplicity. "How do we ask for location?" → Responsibility. "Destructive action?" → Agency.
• "Make it look good / premium" → mostly Craft + Simplicity + Familiarity + Delight. Pair with craft-design for execution (references, build, screenshot, iterate); this is the bar you critique against.

Self-audit

• Purpose: Does every element serve the core job? What did I deliberately cut?
• Agency: Can people do it their way? Is every action undoable? Are destructive actions confirmed?
• Responsibility: Do I ask for data/permissions only when needed and explain why? How could this be misused, who's harmed, how do I prevent it?
• Familiarity: Do icons/patterns match convention? Same look = same behavior? Predictable placement?
• Flexibility: Does it adapt across contexts, devices, and abilities? Can people personalize?
• Simplicity: Plain language? Fewest steps? Clear hierarchy? Does every element earn its place?
• Craft: Type, color, motion, alignment polished? Light and dark? Solid on resize/rotate?
• Delight: What emotion am I creating — and does the whole design reinforce it?

When lenses collide, say so and choose with intention. For the expanded treatment, read references/design-principles.md.