The current web design scene is experiencing something called 'Design Singularity': they're almost indistinguishable from one another. What are the symptoms, and how can we prevent design singularity?

1. Fastfooddesign
(or how we somehow got it all backwards)
@davidwieland

2. How to prepare fast food design.

3. Step 1
Take a random image from unsplash.com.
It won’t matter what it is.

5. Step 2
Add a translucent color filter.

7. Step 3
Write a non-committing tagline.

8. MORE POWER. MORE BETTER.

9. Step 4
Set a noun or verb in geometric font
in the top left corner.

10. MORE POWER. MORE BETTER.
JUMP

11. Step 5
Add transparent buttons.

12. MORE POWER. MORE BETTER.
JUMP sign uppricingsomething else
jump higher now!

13. You nailed it.
High-fives all around. Decide to have lunch.

14. Design singularity
Observation
Modern websites look professional,
albeit generic and uninspired.

17. “[It’s a] world where your credit card
provider and your sock subscription
service look like the exact same
company.”
– Emmet Connoly, Director of Product Design at Intercom
https://blog.intercom.io/has-visual-design-fallen-flat/

18. Occurs often among:-
Startups Design agencies
(differentiation
fatigue)
Traditional
businesses
(trend
sensitiveness)
(templatitis)
Design singularity

19. Why do many modern websites have a uniform impression?
Trend
sensitiveness
Quicker
turnover
Uneducated
stakeholders
+ +

20. Trend
Sensitiveness
Here today, gone tomorrow

22. Trend
Sensitiveness
Competition is more transparent than ever before
At the end of the day, it’s easier to conform than to differentiate
Here today, gone tomorrow

23. Quicker
turnover
Product-driven, instead of process-driven
Thousands and thousands of free resources
Generators set unrealistic expectations

24. Uneducated
stakeholders
Untrained ‘designers’ are piloting their brand
into failure
“People will come if the site looks good”
Design is not a product: it’s a process

25. “Why would I pay an expensive designer
if I can get a logo from Fiverr?”

26. “Why would I pay an expensive designer
if I can get a logo from Fiverr?”
“Why would I pay a costly developer
if I can get a site from Squarespace?”

27. “Why would I pay an expensive designer
if I can get a logo from Fiverr?”
“Why would I pay a costly developer
if I can get a site from Squarespace?”
what’s the difference?

28. whoa, hold on.

30. “Squarespace doesn’t care about content. Its entire
business model relies on the fact that you can paste
any ’ol passage of slop into their system and it will
look acceptable.”
– Travis Gertz (@travisgertz), Designer & Co-owner Louder than Ten
https://louderthanten.com/articles/story/design-machines

31. THAt
isNOT
DESIGN.

32. “But it looks good, right?”

33. “But it looks good, right?”
No one will come to your site because it looks good.

34. No one will come to your site because it looks good.
They’ll come if it answers their concerns,
satisfies their needs
and solves their problems.
“But it looks good, right?”

35. Design begins at conception
Business strategy
Design research
Design strategy
Information design
Visual design
Development
Launch

36. Fast-food design cuts in line,
for immediate results.
Business strategy
Design research
Design strategy
Information design
Visual design
Development
Launch
We’re starting here!
cool
whatever

37. A generic design is a direct consequence
of skipping the research.

38. By jumping directly
into visual design phase,
you’ll ignore everything
that’s dear to you.

39. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight

40. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight
Accessible
Devices, disability,
bandwidth

41. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight
Accessible
Relevant
Devices, disability,
bandwidth
Does it tell users
what they want to know?

42. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight
Accessible
Relevant
Usable
Devices, disability,
bandwidth
Does it tell users
what they want to know?
Can users easily find
the information they need?

43. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight
Accessible
Relevant
Usable
Personal
Devices, disability,
bandwidth
Does it tell users
what they want to know?
Can users easily find
the information they need?
Does the website cater for
individual users’ specific needs?

44. Paul Boag’s pyramid of User Needs
Accessible
Relevant
Usable
Personal
Per-
suasive
Devices, disability,
bandwidth
Does it tell users
what they want to know?
Can users easily find
the information they need?
Does the website cater for
individual users’ specific needs?
Does the site present the information
in a way users find compelling?
https://boagworld.com/usability/when-it-comes-to-your-website-get-your-priorities-straight

45. Accessible
Relevant
Usable
Personal
Per-
suasive

46. CONSTRAINT
The four horsemen of Design
CONTEXTINTENT IMPACT

47. CONSTRAINT
#1 What’s your budget? #2 Is there a timeline?
#3 What exists already? #4 Who is involved?

48. fast
good cheap
pick two.

49. #1 What’s your elevator pitch? #2 What drives you and your team?
#3 What are you trying to achieve?
INTENT

50. “Design is the rendering of intent.”
– Jared Spool (@jmspool), Professional Smart Person
http://www.uie.com/articles/design_rendering_intent/

51. #1 What industry are you in? #2 Geographic location, culture?
#3 What else is out there? #4 Who are you targeting?
CONTEXT

53. #1 What is the scale of this project? #2 How relevant is it?
#3 What are worst-case scenarios you can think of?
IMPACT

54. “Design is not just how it looks like,
or feels like.

55. “Design is not just how it looks like,
or feels like.
Design is how it works.”
– Steve Jobs

56. The available technology, resources and skills
empower us today to make amazing things.

57. The available technology, resources and skills
empower us today to make amazing things.
but time pressure, abundance of resources and
a forgiving design trend make us lazy.

58. Would you let a complete stranger do your
groceries for you?

59. That guy from Fiverr
He hasn’t even met you, let alone knows you.

60. That cool $40 parallax template
It’s not interested in your business model.

61. Squarespace’ sweet
content management tool
They’ll never accept responsibility for your failed
business opportunities.

62. And you’re entrusting your business’ future
— to them?

63. Templates, trends or generators
aren’t going to solve your problems.
They’re going to give you all sorts of new ones.

64. In summary
Be wary of trends
Stay true to your business intentions
and review your design regularly
Templates and generators are placebos.
Your customers will never notice you. You’ll blend in at best
Do your homework
If you have a good proposition,
stick to telling that story, and validate it

65. http://bit.ly/1NeMr91
Design is the Rendering of Intent
— Jared M. SpoolRead this >
http://bit.ly/1MnqAM0
Design Machines
— Travis Gertz < and this
http://bit.ly/1IYtQLx
When it comes to your website,
get your priorities straight
— Paul Boag
This too >
(The end!!1)