Partially inside Apple's design process

Daniel Turner set out to write an article for the MIT Technology Review on the design process that went into the iPhone but, perhaps unsurprisingly, he ran into a wall at Apple. Instead he has penned this nice look at the overall Apple design process, drawing on interviews with former Apple employees as well as folks at Frog Design who have worked with Apple. There are some interesting tidbits comparing the way Apple does things versus other companies. For instance, instead of asking what a factory can do and then designing the product around it, Apple instead tends to make the factories re-tool to meet its requirements. From the beginning Apple has spent more time and money on design leading (as we well know) to superior products. Perhaps most unsurprising of all is Turner's conclusion that this all leads back to one man: Steve Jobs. Turner quotes a former Apple executive Don Norman as saying. "Jobs is a dictator, but with good taste. He is good and driven to the perfect experience. He doesn't want good design; he wants great design."

Though the conclusions are unsurprising there are some good stories here and anybody interested in the Apple design process should head over to Technology Review.

[via MacSlash]

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