Many things have changed from tool design in the prehistoric era to today’s digital product design. However, we can see surprisingly many similarities. Especially when it comes down to one particular aspect: usability.

從史前時代的工具設計到如今的數字產品設計，許多事情已經發生了變化。 但是，我們可以驚人地看到許多相似之處。 特別是當涉及到一個特定方面時：可用性。

什么是產品設計 (What is product design)

According to the Strate School of Design, when looking at the traditional meaning:

根據斯特拉特設計學院(Strate School of Design)的說法，傳統意義是：

“Product design consists in imagining and creating objects meant for mass production. The definition encompasses the physical aspects as well as the functionalities products should possess.”

“產品設計在于想象和創建用于大規模生產的對象。 該定義包括產品應具備的物理方面和功能 。”

Nowadays, digital products need to be included in the definition of product design as well:

如今，數字產品也需要包含在產品設計的定義中：

“Product design is the process of identifying a market opportunity, clearly defining the problem, developing a proper solution for that problem and validating the solution with real users.” — Nick Babich

“產品設計是確定市場機會，明確定義問題 ， 為該問題開發適當的解決方案并與實際用戶驗證解決方案的過程 。” — 尼克·巴比奇

We can see from both definitions, traditional as well as digital, that the main purpose of product design is to identify an issue and find an appropriate solution to tackle this issue with certain functionalities and features of a product.

從傳統的定義和數字的定義中，我們都可以看到，產品設計的主要目的是識別問題并找到合適的解決方案，以解決產品某些功能和特性的問題。

Blacksmiths in the Middle Ages crafted their spears according to peoples’ needs (of a robust tool) and so do we when designing a new web application. So, what has changed throughout history?

中世紀的鐵匠根據人們的需求(一種強大的工具)制作了矛，在設計新的Web應用程序時我們也是如此。 那么，整個歷史發生了什么變化？

讓我們回顧一下歷史 (Let’s take a look back in history)

Humans have always made crafts and tools since the very beginning of humanity. The first weapons and technical devices have had one simple purpose: Usability. For thousands of years, products were made to meet the needs of the individual.

自人類誕生以來，人類就一直制造手Craft.io品。 最初的武器和技術設備有一個簡單的用途：可用性。 幾千年來，產品不斷滿足個人需求。

By the time of the Mid-eighteenth century, industrial developments throughout Europe and especially in England have transformed the purpose of production. Products had to meet the growing demand for mass production on the market. It was at this time that the first factories began to produce for the masses, and therefore the aim of most products was simple and fast production. In most cases, this was achieved by standardization and unification, and by designs that were made from as little material as necessary.

到18世紀中葉，整個歐洲，特別是英國的工業發展已經改變了生產的目的。 產品必須滿足市場上不斷增長的批量生產需求。 正是在這個時候，第一批工廠開始為大眾生產，因此大多數產品的目標是簡單，快速地生產。 在大多數情況下，這是通過標準化和統一，以及通過使用盡可能少的材料制成的設計來實現的。

Starting from 1850, we saw some great examples of products, like the Singer sewing machine or the famous Vienna Coffee House Chair by Michael Thonet. This chair from 1859 was an innovation overall, with its novel design, minimum materials used and designed with distribution in mind. The pioneering technique of crafting the back legs as one single piece by a new steam process helped reducing material and production costs.

從1850年開始，我們看到了許多出色的產品示例，例如Singer縫紉機或Michael Thonet著名的維也納咖啡廳椅??子 。 這把椅子始于1859年，總體上是一項創新，設計新穎，使用的材料最少，設計時考慮了分布。 通過新的蒸汽Craft.io將后腿制成一體的開創性技術有助于降低材料和生產成本。

The postmodernism period including the pre-war luxury period (1900–1945) brought many incredible inventions to the books. German architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe designed the Barcelona Chair in 1929, featuring a one-piece stainless steel frame. Similar to the Vienna Coffee House Chair, this meant that the frame could be manufactured in one piece. It is still sold today.

包括戰前奢侈時期(1900-1945年)在內的后現代主義時期為書籍帶來了許多不可思議的發明。 德國建筑師路德維希·密斯·范德羅(Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe)于1929年設計了巴塞羅那椅子 ，采用一體式不銹鋼框架。 與維也納咖啡廳椅??子類似，這意味著框架可以一件制造。 今天仍然出售。

Another brilliant piece of furniture was designed in 1933 by Alvar Aalto, a Finish architect and furniture designer of the Scandinavian Modernism. The Model 60 stacking stool is a wooden stool using Aalto’s innovative “L-shape leg”, a bentwood chair leg that could be mass-manufactured and did not require joinery. The stool is still very popular today, with a famous American apparel brand using it as a pattern in 2017, and offering seating for customers in Apple Stores across the globe until today.

另一件出色的家具是1933年由北歐建筑的完成建筑師兼家具設計師Alvar Aalto設計的。 Model 60堆疊凳是使用Aalto創新的“ L形腿”的木凳，該曲木腿可以批量生產，不需要細木工。 如今，凳子仍然很受歡迎，2017年有一個著名的美國服裝品牌將其用作圖案，直到今天為止，它仍為全球Apple Store的顧客提供座位。

“We should work for simple, good, undecorated things” and he continues, “but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street.” Alvar Aalto, speech in London 1957.

他繼續說：“我們應該為簡單，優質，簡樸的事物而努力”，但與人類和諧相處，有機地適合街頭小矮人的事物。 阿爾瓦·阿爾托(Alvar Aalto)，1957年在倫敦的演講。

Aalto’s thinking approach marked a new era of product design which went all the way back to the roots: design with the individual in mind.

Aalto的思維方式標志著產品設計的新時代，該時代可以追溯到根本：設計時要考慮個人。

Since the 1950s, Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer has widely influenced the product design landscape. His design approach follows the principle of “Weniger, aber besser” which translates as “Less, but better” and is often referred to as “less is more”.

自1950年代以來，德國工業設計師Dieter Rams廣泛地影響了產品設計領域。 他的設計方法遵循“ Weniger，aber besser”的原則，該原則翻譯為“少一點，但更好”，通常被稱為“少即是多”。

He strictly followed ten principles of “good design”, identifying that a product is designed well if it:

他嚴格遵循“良好設計”的十項原則，確定產品的設計是否符合以下條件：

1. is innovative

   是創新的

2. makes a product useful

   使產品有用

3. is aesthetic

   是審美的

4. makes a product understandable

   使產品易于理解

5. is unobtrusive

   不顯眼

6. is honest

   說實話

7. is long-lasting

   持久

8. is thorough down to the last detail

   深入到最后一個細節

9. is environmentally friendly

   是環保的

10. is minimal

    最小

Rams was working as a designer for the electronic manufacturer Braun throughout decades. Some of his design concepts even made it to digital transformation. Apple’s iOS 3 used to mirror the appearance of the 1987 Braun ET 66 calculator.

幾十年來，Rams一直在電子制造商Braun擔任設計師。 他的一些設計理念甚至進行了數字轉換 。 蘋果公司的iOS 3用來反映1987年Braun ET 66計算器的外觀。

Moreover, the world clock app that was found on the iOS 7 mimics Braun’s clock (and watch) design including the font and layout.

此外，iOS 7上的世界時鐘應用程序模仿了布勞恩的時鐘(和手表)設計，包括字體和布局。

One example where designer Phillipe Starck focused more on form than on function is the so-called ‘Alessi Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer’. First produced in 1990, this spider-shaped squeezer is a controversial kitchen tool. It looks like a piece of art and may look great on a kitchen shelf but according to several reviews lacks usability due to instability and badly chosen material.

設計師Phillipe Starck更加注重形式而非功能的一個例子是所謂的“ Alessi Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer ”。 這款蜘蛛形壓榨器于1990年首次生產，是一種有爭議的廚房工具。 它看起來像一件藝術品，可能在廚房的架子上看起來很棒，但根據一些評論，由于不穩定和材料選擇不當，使可用性不足。

Throughout history, there’s one aspect that hasn’t changed: If a product is not user-friendly it can be used as decoration, but customers will not recommend it.

在整個歷史中，有一個方面沒有改變：如果產品不是用戶友好型產品，則可以用作裝飾，但客戶不會推薦它。

The same applies to web designers. When talking about product design we no longer refer to a tangible product seen in a retail store but include digital products as well such as apps and websites. So, how does a designer find out whether the user likes the product?

這同樣適用于網頁設計師。 在談論產品設計時，我們不再指在零售商店中看到的有形產品，而是包括數字產品以及應用程序和網站。 那么，設計師如何確定用戶是否喜歡該產品？

設計思維 (Design thinking)

The main aspect, product and UX design have in common is their main purpose.

產品和UX設計的主要方面是它們的主要目的。

“When designing products, always remember that you are designing for people” — Nick Babich

“在設計產品時，請始終記住您是在為人而設計” – Nick Babich

Design Thinking is a non-linear approach. This basically means that the design team continuously utilizes its results to revise, question and refine its initial assumptions, understandings and findings.

設計思維是一種非線性方法。 這基本上意味著設計團隊將不斷利用其結果來修改，質疑和完善其最初的假設，理解和發現。

It is therefore obvious to see the parallels to web design.

因此，很明顯可以看到與網頁設計的相似之處。

“At the heart of Design Thinking is the intention to improve products by analyzing how users interact with them and investigating the conditions in which they operate. Design Thinking offers us a means of digging that bit deeper to uncover ways of improving user experiences.” — Interaction Design Foundation

“設計思維的核心是通過分析用戶與他們的互動方式并調查其工作條件來改善產品的意圖。 設計思維為我們提供了一種更深入的挖掘方法，以發現改善用戶體驗的方法。” — 交互設計基金會

Many modern design projects fail because they lack a clear vision and purpose. This can be seen in both, tangible as well as digital products. An old Japanese proverb says,

許多現代設計項目之所以失敗，是因為它們缺乏明確的愿景和宗旨。 在有形產品和數字產品中都可以看到這一點。 古老的日本諺語說：

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

沒有行動的愿景是白日夢。 沒有視力的行動是一場噩夢。”

A clear product vision sets the direction for the entire development team and guides them throughout the process.

清晰的產品愿景為整個開發團隊設定了方向，并在整個過程中為他們提供指導。

Once the vision is clear and the team knows “why they are doing it”, it is crucial to determine the strategy as of “how they will achieve this”. The strategy often follows the approach of reverse engineering, which is done by starting off with the ideal end product and strip it all the way down to figure out which challenges may occur when designing it.

一旦愿景明確并且團隊知道“他們為什么這樣做”，就必須從“他們將如何實現這一目標”來確定策略。 該策略通常采用逆向工程的方法，即從理想的最終產品入手，一直剝離下去，以找出設計時可能遇到的挑戰。

Sketching and wireframing are useful procedures when it comes to first drafts. The design part, then, should consist of prototyping, reviewing and a refining step. Once all that is done, testing and validation are inevitable for a successful project. The least a designer should conduct is a qualitative usability test. The idea behind a usability test is to evaluate whether the design and functionality of a product work for the target users.

初稿時，草圖繪制和線框繪制是有用的步驟。 然后，設計部分應包括原型制作，審查和完善步驟。 完成所有這些操作之后，對于成功的項目而言，測試和驗證是不可避免的。 設計人員至少應該進行的是定性的可用性測試。 可用性測試背后的想法是評估產品的設計和功能是否適合目標用戶。

Typically, work continues even after the official launch. Metrics and analyses are crucial for a good product, and user feedback should be generated. Online surveys or customer support enquiries offer important insights and should be at the heart of the product design process. A/B testing can reveal additional findings of which design aspects work and which ones need improvement.

通常，即使正式發布后，工作仍會繼續。 指標和分析對于優質產品至關重要，應生成用戶反饋。 在線調查或客戶支持查詢可提供重要見解，并且應該是產品設計過程的核心。 A / B測試可以揭示在哪些設計方面有效以及哪些方面需要改進的其他發現。

(Digital) product design is not a linear process. It is a never-ending procedure which should be improved throughout its course.

(數字)產品設計不是線性過程。 這是一個永無止境的程序，應在整個過程中加以改進。

The most important aspect when designing products is that design is for people. The ideal outcome will be generated when researching the target audience, understand their needs and problems, and then evaluate the strategy to build a product that solves those problems. Unlike industrial design in the 18th century, you are designing with the individual in mind.

設計產品時最重要的方面是設計是為人設計的 。 在研究目標受眾，了解他們的需求和問題，然后評估構建解決這些問題的產品的策略時，將會產生理想的結果。 與18世紀的工業設計不同，您在設計時會考慮個人。

In the words of Aalto:

用阿爾托的話來說：

“We should work for simple, good, undecorated things, but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street.”

“我們應該為簡單，優質，樸素的事物而努力，但是那些與人類和諧相處，有機地適合街頭小矮人的事物。”