The Five Design Principles Steve Jobs Lived By

Writer / Stephanie Benfield

Influencer, visionary, entrepreneur and creative genius, Steve Jobs made an incredible and unprecedented impact on the world. Known as the face of Apple, and the maker of iconic products from the Apple Mac to the iPhone, Steve Jobs redefined key consumer industries.

With a net worth of over a million dollars when he was just 23 years old to an estimated value of $10.2 billion when he died, Steve Jobs got to his position through hard work, perfectionism and his five core design principles that shaped his success and ensured his visions came to life.

The five design principles of Steve Jobs

1. Simplicity

It is no secret that the best products and services are the ones that are easy to use. Steve Jobs lived by the belief that you have to make everything obvious. Intuition plays a huge part in some of the most successful designs from Steve Jobs. His principle of simplicity is to base designs on principles that people already understand. A key example of this is the use of physical gestures.

By focusing on simplicity with design, you can achieve not only usability but sophistication too.

2. Friendliness

One of the significant successes of Apple designs is their usability and desire to help people. Steve Jobs ensured that designs were friendly and empathetic to people’s needs. There was importance in building a connection with the customer. Apple products strive to show that they understand consumer needs better than anybody else. The friendliness was demonstrated with a smiley face when starting up the first Apple computer.

Focusing on helping customers, being approachable and friendly allows designs to appeal to people who consider themselves novices or are overwhelmed, in Apple’s case, with technology.

3. Minimalism

With interest in Zen philosophy, Steve Jobs made sure minimalism was at the heart of every design. He was known to ask the team to take away all the noise and focus on the core need of the product. With his perfectionism, Steve Jobs was known to be ruthless with designs, stripping down products until they had just the fundamental elements needed.

While it is easy to add elements to designs, sometimes the most success comes from removing everything that is a distraction. It is essential to make sure that the principle is maintained and isn’t lost through a complication.

4. Precision

In all aspects of life, Steve Jobs took precision seriously. His level of detail has left a deep impression on designers, and his focus on craft has always been admirable. His accuracy in his art made sure that aesthetics were maintained at all times. Even if elements are hidden, Steve Jobs ensured that every single aspect is high-quality and attractive.

With this precision, it is important to remember that people do judge a book by its cover and that quality should never be compromised.

5. Focus

With a design in mind, Steve Jobs never allowed himself to be sidetracked by another idea. Staying organised and focussed is critical. Steve Jobs once said; “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do”. With this in mind, clear away distractions and plan ahead to stay on track. Always have focus on your original goal.