There’s more to building a great product than just studying the market or the technology or competitors. You need to have taste too. You need to understand what “great” means in a big picture sense, not just in your chosen field.
At least that’s what Steve Jobs thinks:
Great products, according to Mr. Jobs, are triumphs of “taste.” And taste, he explains, is a byproduct of study, observation and being steeped in the culture of the past and present, of “trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then bring those things into what you are doing.”
Want to build a great iPhone app? Go listen to Billie Holliday. Trying to design a piece of hardware? Visit a Frank Lloyd Wright house. Aiming to write great marketing copy? Read Aldous Huxley. Need a color scheme? Go to the museum and check out some Mark Rothko paintings.
Studying masters in a wide range of fields is how you learn greatness. Their creations may not have a direct, instant benefit on whatever you’re making, but soaking them in will change the way you think and the decisions you make. (Side benefit: You’ll be a lot more interesting person too.)
Related: Acquire taste [SvN]
Doug Adams
on 01 Feb 10Your last paragraph is my quote for the day.
Hashmalech
on 01 Feb 10Not to mention that acquiring this “taste” is fun and can be done with friends or family. Or even during a vacation.
Hashmalech
on 01 Feb 10Not to mention that acquiring this “taste” is fun and can be done with friends or family. Or even during vacation.
Eric J Gruber
on 01 Feb 10That reminds me of one of the podcasts from not long ago that talked about getting out into nature to get design inspiration. It’s so true. There are some pretty awesome designs in nature, and because we pass by them everyday, we sometimes don’t “see” them.
What I think is different about acquiring good taste is, once you acquire it, you notice a whole lot of bad things around you. In a way, acquiring taste makes life a little worse.
Jeremy at MicroExperience
on 01 Feb 10Another quote from the article caught my attention:
“At Apple, there is a similar link between the ultimate design-team leader, Mr. Jobs, and the products. From computers to smartphones, Apple products are known for being stylish, powerful and pleasing to use. They are edited products that cut through complexity, by consciously leaving things out — not cramming every feature that came into an engineer’s head.”
As this excerpt suggests, it’s a lot easier to let your good taste show through when the product strategy emphasizes simplicity and ease-of-use, rather than the sheer number of features.
Daniel
on 01 Feb 10Hehe… I can’t help but think that that one was a bit tongue-in-cheek. If so: Good one!
Fazal Majid
on 02 Feb 10When Jobs was leading the original Mac project, he took the team out to an exhibition on Louis Chance Tiffany and how he turned out mass-produced art. This was despite a punishing schedule that eventually burned most of the team out.
Mark
on 02 Feb 10Bravo.
Fernando Emmanoel Borba
on 02 Feb 10Well done.
I think that I have a rotten taste for web design.
I am a programmer. So, my first tough was, “hey… please give a recipe of how to I acquire taste!!”
But it´s not that right… Taste if something that I will only get visiting websites, saving the ones I like the most. And I will really try to expand my range of activities.
JMLeon
on 02 Feb 10Interesting. I’ll try on my next projects to be inspired by other kinds of work.
Sean McCambridge
on 02 Feb 10@Daniel: I was trying to figure out the same thing. At first, I shuddered. :)
Chris Whamond
on 04 Feb 10Nice post, Matt. As an artist, you can definitely gain inspiration from other artists – regardless of niche. For example, one of the best ways to become a better guitarist is by listening to jazz saxophonists. Listen to their phrasing, their tone, their dynamics. Then try to incorporate that into your own playing.
I remember J.F. saying one time that he is a gardener and gets inspiration from nature. In “Envisioning Information” Tufte said the same thing: use color palettes you find in the natural world.
Keep your eyes and ears open and take notice of what grabs you on an emotional level.
the Oracle
on 06 Feb 10I guess this just the difference between a visionaire and an analyst. (good) Analysts spend time figuring out (rationally) what makes an existing product successful, and how it differentiate with competition, what innovations are great … A visionaire sees (and sometimes tries to build) product that none yet has envisioned. May be taste is that inner voice and light that eventually shows up and says : people gonna love this ! it is beyond “it should work”
Question i have : can we really acquire taste. We be just born with (or without).
This discussion is closed.