Several weeks ago Paul Graham spoke at the Berkman Center. As the notice said, “In a recent essay, "Taste for Makers," Paul argues that successful design, from math to software to painting, relies on the same aesthetic principles. Taste is therefore not a matter of subjectively appreciating fine works but is a required capability for creating great software.
The essay shares some very interesting design principles that apply to software design as well as art. Paul has experience in both fields. A few concepts.
Good design is simple.
Good design solves the right problem.
Good design is suggestive.
There are many more principles carefully defined with examples. Wikis are a good candidate for this.
Brian Lamb quoted Charlie Mingus in his essay on wikis.
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. “
Take a look at what Paul wrote. It is full of good reminders.
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