As a product designer, I always look for principles and ideas to help me improve my process.

The following principles from Steve Jobs are a great reminder of what to focus on as you build your products.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

Focus on making the product intuitive and obvious to use

• If users need a manual, the design has failed.
• Eliminate unnecessary buttons, features, and complexity.

Be ready always to question everything about the current design of the product

• Challenge every assumption about how things “should” be
• Think different – break from conventional wisdom when necessary

User Experience

When building a product, start with the user experience, then work backwards to the technology

• Design is not just how it looks but how it works
• Every interaction should feel magical and delightful
• The best interface is no interface – make technology invisible

Perfection in the details matters

• Obsess over every pixel, every corner, every transition
• The parts you can’t see should be as beautiful as the parts you can
• Quality must go all the way through

Innovation

Create products people don’t know they need yet

• Don’t rely on market research – show people the future
• If you ask customers what they want, they’ll say, “Better horses.”
• True innovation means seeing what others can’t see.

Product Development

Be prepared to say no to a thousand things

• Focus is about saying no to good ideas
• Do a few things exceptionally well rather than many things adequately
• Kill projects that don’t meet the highest standards

Prototype and iterate

• Make real working models, not just drawings.
• Keep refining until it feels right.
• Don’t be afraid to restart if it’s not perfect.