Good design is obsessed with a single goal: To allow the user access to all possible utilities with the least amount of effort.
As a result, design does incorporate visual elements, but only because we as humans are such visual creatures; oftentimes the path of least resistance is the visual path. This has led to the notion that good design is largely about changing how something looks.
That isn’t the case however. We can take almost any item or system, and show an example of good design.
The iPhone displays good design by the fact that one can navigate to the app that is needed, and obtain all the benefits of say, reading the newspaper, all with a single swipe and a single tap.
To give other examples – A good textbook allows one to find any section in the quickest time; A good racing bike allows for the maximum velocity using the minimum force while keeping the rider in a comfortable position; A good website displays all information in a pleasing fashion accessible with the least clicks; A good
The textbook may do this by separating sections in a logical fashion and creating a good indexable structure [1]; The bike may do this with stronger yet lighter materials; The website may do this using various colours or widgets.
Of course, these aren’t limited to the options above. Verily, the options for innovation are infinite, and thus the constant need for fresh ideas and implementations.
But all of the above share something in common: All activity takes place on top on that system. In other words, the way a textbook is laid out determines the way you read it, the bike frame determines your riding position, etc.
The corollary to that is that changing these defaults means overhauling the entire system.
That means 2 things. First, we need to get the defaults right. And Second, if they aren’t right, then expect and be willing to invest the necessary time and effort to get them right.
In the Context of Health and Fitness
Since this is a health and fitness blog, it would be apt to relate this back to the topic at hand.
First, recognise that achieving such goals is solely a function of how you act; It is entirely a behavioural problem. So at it’s core, we can simply fit the following definition for a good fat loss diet: A good diet is one that you can stick to.
What people should be asking themselves is, “How do I create defaults that allow me to stick to the diet as easily as possible“. They should then also realise that the notion of defaults is more rich and diverse than they think.
Just to give some examples off the top of my head, let’s say with have a dieter who loves cookies, and has a past history of cookie binges. The simplest option to reduce caloric intake would be to dispel all cookies from the house. No cookies = no binge right?
That may be true, but engineering the environment may (a) not always be possible (what happens when you visit a friend’s place and they serve you freshly baked triple chocolate chip cookies), and (b) cause plenty of grief.
Going from all cookies to no cookies is a drastic change for this dieter, and any big change is always going to be met with big psychological resistance, which leads to poor decision making.
There must be a default reaction set to ensure that cookie binges do not occur. Maybe always keep low calorie snacks on hand. Or perhaps make the first reaction be to ask for water instead of food. Try stuff until something works.
The same is true with weights training. Using myself as an example, before I start any set, I set a default by asking, “Based on how I am feeling today, under what conditions do I abandon the workout set and under what conditions do I try to push through?”
Once those are set, I stick to them regardless of the circumstances. If I don’t, I’ll always find a way to rationalise pushing harder, and the result would be injury. (which did happen in the past. Lesson learnt)
So defaults in this case can be anything from one’s default psychological reactions, to a credo uttered before any similar undertaking.
The key is to recognise that that the more complex the system, the more impact our decisions will have, the less information (relatively) we have on hand to make the decision, and the more we need to revert to our default settings for the way forward.
Finally, realise that dieting (and life in general) is a complex system, and respect it for what it is.
Final Words
We live life under a whole bunch of assumptions, too many to fathom. To steer the way forward, we need to rely on a default series of reactions, and then constantly revise and update those reactions. Yes, this is going to involve a lot of work, and yes, it is going to be an entirely open-ended, idiosyncratic task for which nobody can give you the answers to. But it is the only option there is, lest we be controlled by the invisible forces of our environment.
To sum up this post: Defaults Matter, Set them Right.
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[1] As a sidenote, the reason I think digital textbooks are great is for this very reason. A digital copy of a text makes it a factor of 10x quicker and easier to search for a specific piece of information. With the increasingly advanced capabilities of semantic technology, I’m convinced that digital textbook viewers (one use for the iPad) are the future.
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