Designing is caring
It's not touchy-feely; it's about investing time, effort, and quality.
The other day I posted on LinkedIn about our need to go beyond a typically limited, hurried “MVP” by defining “magical moments” that resonate with customers — in a cross-functional fashion, of course! 😁 In the comments section, the notion of “care” came up, which suddenly reminded me of a profound moment at Citrix many years at our annual Product Design Summit. There the CEO explained that “designing is caring”. I want to share that anecdote here briefly, as it both testifies to the character of this uniquely pro-design B2B SaaS chief executive, and conveys a nugget of timeless wisdom…
On the final day of the Citrix Product Design Summit in Fall 2011, we had the privilege of a lively conversation with then Citrix CEO—and passionate design advocate—Mark Templeton. Gregarious and approachable, Mark never hesitates to say hello or ask about your family. That warmth shone through as he spoke about design culture, strategic goals, his heroes—even his shoes! 😅
But one statement stood out:
“If I were to substitute one word for ‘design,’ it would be ‘care.’ You have to care about the details and why you’re doing it.”
That idea stuck with me. At its core, good design is about caring—thoughtful consideration, due diligence, anticipation, and refinement, all in service of helping a person (not just a demographically defined “user”) achieve their goals with satisfaction… and maybe a bit of joy. The moment you and/or the team stop caring, you stop designing well. 😬
Care is also the path to empathy—fully embracing the frictions & delights of others to create meaningful experiences. It shapes both the broad human journey of discovery and the fine details of craftsmanship—pixel by pixel, word by word, click by click. Caring is what makes design a profoundly human endeavor, one that improves lives, sustains businesses, and fosters technologies of impactful value.
To design well, you have to care. ✨