What Does the Recession Mean to Designers?

Despite the country's current economic situation, the American public is still willing to spend money on an item or two that easily falls outside the definition of essential. If you want proof, take a look at the recent sales of Apple's 3G iPhone and Nintendo's Wii.

But with a smaller budget, consumers will likely be more selective with their spending. Furthermore, those decisions will not solely be based on cost. The general public will also include good design among the criteria.

People are more design literate than ever thanks to design-centric companies such as Target and the aforementioned Apple. They watch TV shows like Project Runway and Extreme Home Makeover. They've become familiar with principles of usability by virtue of the ubiquity of digital interfaces. With this literacy, the public is more qualified than ever to use design as a tool to validate which products and experiences are suitable for them.

In fact, you could extrapolate their design literacy to include their awareness of production techniques. Everyone seems to know what Photoshop is. There are countless behind-the-scenes video extras and online tutorials. And Martha Stewart has single-handedly demystified the process behind making beautiful experiences through simple, accessible design.

While good design should not necessarily be noticed by the user, that same user can now identify a product or service with high production value. And thanks to the Internet, they have the means to deconstruct and consume any design process. The process of the design itself has become a part of public consumption.

When you combine this heightened awareness with the country's tight economic times, you have a consumer who is even more selective and critical of design.

It's incumbent upon us as designers and creatives to be thoughtful of this new design awareness: design with ease-of-use first but back it up with a beautiful interface. We've known this for years. But design used to be about educating and leading the user. Now it's become a negotiation. Respect and acknowledge their design awareness and your design will have a better chance for success in a difficult economic climate.

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Photo courtesy of me.
And photos from yours truly on Flickr.

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