Crafting Software with Purpose
Crafting Software with Purpose
In today's fast-paced tech environment, software design is often driven by deadlines and functionality. But what sets truly exceptional designs apart? The answer lies in the craft.
As I shared in last month’s post, craft has been on my mind for quite a while. Knowing that craft is a broad topic that can be approached from many different angles, I wanted to allow some ideas to solidify, opinions to strengthen (or lose), and perspectives to be gathered.
Among these perspectives, one voice always comes to mind regarding this topic: Michael Riddering, also known as Ridd among the design community. He’s constantly seeking, analyzing, and sharing examples of outstanding craftmanship in software design, encouraging thousands of designers to try and save those references that can later be used as inspiration, a practice that resonates deeply with me.
It almost feels like he’s sharing a new finding inside the design team’s Slack channel, but the channel is public, and we get to geek out with him!
Since Ridd is always in tune with craft inspiration and has discussed this topic extensively with other top industry voices on his podcast “Dive Club,” why not go directly to him and dive (see what I did there?) into this complex and exciting topic? Well, that’s precisely what I did!
This post is a collection of shared thoughts Ridd and I have on craft. It answers burning questions that weren’t easy to answer, even for us. Let's dive in!
What is craft anyway?
Let’s take a step back and discuss first what is not.
Craft is not (only) UI design. This is a common misconception in tech of associating a good-looking UI with craft when, in reality, you’re referring to visual design. Can UI design be a reflection of good craft? Absolutely! But it is not just that.
Also, craft is not perfectionism. Often perceived as something positive, “perfect” does not demonstrate craft because it lacks humanity, and humans are flawed. You can tell good craft in the touches of personality and uniqueness of the execution, not when something is absent of imperfections.
Finally, craft is not only found in digital products or handmade products. While thinking about beautifully designed apps or home furniture is very common, craft is so much more than a tangible product.
The Oxford Dictionary defines craft as:
All the skills needed for a particular activity.
Hence, the expression “honing your craft.”
Since craft is not only the output but the sum of skills required to do something exceptionally well, such as software, industrial design, or other disciplines like sports, craft takes on a new meaning.
If we look at this through the lens of software design, it would involve visual design, UX writing, performance, reliability, and many other things that depend not only on the designer’s skill set but also on matching an entire team’s capabilities.
The mindset of “craft”
Regardless of the output, when something is made or executed with high-quality craft, you can describe it as made with such a level of care that it stands out among the average example of its category. It requires time and attention to detail, even in places most people don’t notice.
This level of dedication makes it easier to see the difference between those products and a dupe or something poorly made, or how it’s easy to tell the difference between someone who picks up a guitar occasionally and someone who practices every single day.
Practice. That’s a keyword in craft that we often overlook when looking at its output. To gain the skill set necessary to “be good at your craft,” you have to put in the reps. It’s not a one-and-done act of creating a show-stopper app design and getting the bragging rights to say you’re good at your craft.
To get there, you need to practice a lot, but it also implies a consistent display of such a skill set over and over again, to the point that people will expect high-quality craft and nothing else, especially coming from yourself.
“All of them that you see on the floor aren’t the first time I’ve taken them. I practice unorthodox, one-footers, unbalanced shots, hand-in-your-face, all of that stuff, I’ve done it before.“
— Stephen Curry
Practice develops technique, and broad mastery of techniques creates a strong skill set necessary to achieve high-quality craft.
Using craft strategically in software design
We have been talking broadly about craft so far, but let’s get more specific in our discipline as software designers with a hot take:
🔥 Not every software demonstrating craft has a soul... and that’s ok.
The truth is, not every company needs to be focused on craft unless you have to compete through that lens of consumer-facing products. A B2B SaaS tool can be well-crafted with a clean design and almost instant response, never letting you down like Rick Astley, and yet, still lack a soul.
If craft alone allows your product to compete and even dominate in your industry and category, you don’t need to infuse your product with what we can refer to as “soul,” evoking emotions on every microcopy seen on the screen. Instead, focus on other craft representations, such as seemingly instant interactions or a highly reliable API.
However, if you’re trying to compete in a field where craft is table stakes, such as entertainment, you’ll have to face the scrutiny and expectations that your product will, in fact, have a soul, a distinct personality that, even if you cover a logo, it’ll be recognizable from any other—sometimes up to the point of just identifying it by looking at Spotify’s duotone photo treatment or reading the unhinged TikTok replies of Duolingo.
That’s why it's essential to be strategic about when to use design techniques, how to represent them, and the execution level. If you approach every project as a designer expecting your designs to always have intricate animations, vibrant gradients, or pixel-perfect without considering the higher-level objectives, you’re aiming for perfection, not focusing on the craft. After all, the design should align with the bigger picture to influence.
And this is coming from two people that looove grainy gradients ;)
The aesthetic part of UI Design is the easiest. The most challenging part is mastering a skill like interaction design and having the judgment to know when you need to double down on specific details but also when “good enough” will do it. Sometimes, a copy needs an extra dose of delightfulness, and in other cases, all a settings screen needs is to be functional.
Parting thoughts
Many processes can be automated and optimized, but craftsmanship is an inherently human act. We’re making conscious decisions about how much or little priority a certain aspect of the experience will have. UI Design alone is no longer enough.
We’re on the verge of a new design frontier, a very exciting one if you ask us. The real differentiator and advantage will come from individuals with a track record of articulating and executing their taste with a strong and reliable skill set. It’s time to hone our craft!
Learning shortcuts
Craft by Paul Stamatiou
Craft in Design: Why should I care? by Radilson Gomes
The Cost of Craft by George Kedenburg III
What we don't talk about when we talk about quality... by Jenny Wen
When good is no longer good enough by Tobias van Schneider
Invisible Details of Interaction Design by Rauno Freiberg
The role of taste (and what it means) by David Hoang
It's always more fun to learn with others than doing it alone, so don't hesitate to reach out on Threads @laurieesc and follow Ridd on Twitter @ridd_design if you want to continue the conversation. Make sure to subscribe to Deep Dives and join 10K+ designers to receive a new issue every Thursday.
Over and out,
Laura ✌️
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