Design and Research

Paul Graham’s essay Design and Research distinguishes between the two disciplines: “Design doesn’t have to be new, but it has to be good. Research doesn’t have to be good, but it has to be new.”

User-Centered Focus

The fundamental difference is prioritizing users. Design for actual user needs rather than wants—like medicine, diagnose the underlying problem.

Designing for Yourself

Designs are strongest when creators are part of the intended user group. C, Lisp, and Smalltalk succeeded because designers used them personally. COBOL and Java—designed for others—reflected condescension toward users.

Human-Centered Design

Programming languages must account for human cognitive limitations. “We seem to have a very limited capacity for dealing with detail.”

Prototype-Driven Development

Rapid prototyping and iterative refinement beats the “Hail Mary strategy” of attempting complete products.

Single Leadership

Unlike collaborative research, good design demands one person’s unified vision.

My Takeaway

Both paths ultimately converge toward excellence—but design starts with users, research starts with novelty.

How do you balance design and research in your work? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.