An explanation for everything exists — Design must have intention. Period.
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A white glove on a black humanoid rat should never be just a white glove on a black humanoid rat.
Why does Mickey wear gloves? Why do elevators have mirrors? Why does Netflix’s movie carousel show only a partial image of the last one? Why does ChatGPT show the answer letter by letter? Why is the “x” always on the right side (except on Mac)?
Design must have intention
For the first question, there is an explanation: to create contrast. Mickey’s body, as well as his feet and hands, were all black. When overlapped, due to his animated movement, they became indistinguishable. Just black on black.
With the white gloves, it was possible to see his fingers articulate in a simple way, while also making the work of Disney animators easier. In 1929, he was already wearing gloves with three lines on the back of his hands in the short film “The Opry House.”
In Design, there must be an explanation for everything
It must be intentional. Purposeful. One of the main objectives of Design is to sell something (a product, an idea) and provide meaningful experiences so that the user can solve their problem — whether it’s finding a snack in an app, analyzing data in complex spreadsheets, or simply choosing a good movie to watch, even though if you’re using Netflix, that task might be a bit more challenging.
Just as someone without purpose is nothing but a passerby wandering through the days and nights, design without strategy or intention is nothing more than a designed canvas that allows the user to devise their own way of using the interface — which it shouldn’t.
Is your interface made of Figma or intention? Of buttons or actions? Of disconnected screens or meticulously thought-out paths for humans to get what they need?
Just as we should persistently question “what is our role in the world,” question your designs and those of others: what is their role in the world [of the user and the business]?
Purpose should be ingrained in every part of us. In each of our designs. Or else, would the chaos of the current world not allow us to bypass so many unnecessary processes in life and projects to find the real mission?
A white glove on a black humanoid rat should never be just a white glove on a black humanoid rat.
Therefore, the next time you see a button on the screen, it’s highly likely that it has been placed there, in that way, with that color, with that label, for a reason. And perhaps it’s that reason that made it earn a click from you.
