4 Tips About Apple’s Design Process That Keeps Them on Top.
Apple has been taking over the entire world with their ever-changing sleek designs and seamless user interface. How do they continue to stay on top when they release a new design for a piece of tech? Well, you’ll never really know for sure because they like to keep secrets so they stay on top; However, They love to listen, learn, and adapt to what consumers are saying so they can make better products.
Tip #1: Funnel the Ideas
When the leads at Apple are about to release a new product, there were probably many other designs that didn’t make the cut. In their ideas meeting, they really focus on 1 or 2 overarching ideas then use their “10–3–1” strategy to select the best design to move forward within their design process. This process involves discussing one idea that the group agrees on and then 10 prototypes are created. From this stage 3 of the 10 ideas are voted on as the best three and then it is narrowed down to 1 idea to move forward with. This funnel type of process ensures that only the best of products leave the small groups for larger manufacturing.
Tip #2: Only Bite off What You Can Chew
At Apple, they are not spreading themselves too thin when it comes to the designing of new or refined products. They tend to work on a few products at once and work to perfect them before they are unveiled. This to me seems like a great idea because you don’t want to put out 100 crappy projects but would rather put out 2–3 amazing new products. This goes again towards Apple’s metaphor using a funnel metaphor to create the best possible product they can my focusing in.
Tip#3: Never Grow Complacent
Where I think this company really thrives is its iteration process. The executives at Apple have weekly reviews of where the new product is, to answer any questions, and make sure the design is going in the right direction. On top of this, Apple will have multiple 4–6-week cycles in which they manufacture their prototype, review it, and fix whatever they don’t like. Something to learn from Apple is to never be complacent with your first design. They constantly find bugs or new ideas that could incorporate in a new update or design. This idea of an ever-changing model is what helps Apple stay high up in a competitive market.
Tip #4: The Customer Matters Most
Finally, what Apple does the best is keeping the user in mind throughout the entire design process. Whether it be the design of the actual product or just the packaging, one thing I can say for absolute certainty is that Apple wants to create an experience from the minute you buy the product to the moment you actually start using it. The designers at Apple want you to know they appreciate you and it shows through their packaging that seems almost too futuristic. The creators over at apple care about you so much they tailor this whole process to make sure you don’t regret the absurd amount of money you just … I mean..They tailor this process so that you have an enjoyable experience and continue buying their products.
Apple is truly thriving in the simplicity of its design process. They show care for their customers even though they are a 2 trillion-dollar company. This shows that no matter how large you are, it still helps to keep things simple and trust the process.
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