understandable
Upon completion of this unit, the T is expected to enable Ss to:
•understand the principles of good design Knowledge
Dieter Rams’ 10 Principles of good design
Design is everywhere. The alarm clock that wakes you up every morning, the toothbrush you brush your teeth with, the bike you ride to school, or the high-speed train you take when travelling … Have you ever observed designs in your life and wondered, what designs are good designs? And what designs are ineffective?
You may come up with different ideas. There is a famous guideline called 10 principles for good desi
gn . These principles were developed by Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer. He was the guiding force of Braun, a
famous consumer products company. Now let’s look at these principles.
1.Good design is innovative. Innovative design always develops in line with innovative technology.
2.Good design makes a product useful. A well-designed product should fulfill its functions.
3.Good design is aesthetic. Most products are used frequently and their aesthetic quality influences the
emotional well-being of the user.
4.Good design makes a product understandable. Ideally, it should be self-explanatory.
5.Good design is unobtrusive. Products are usually used as tools, not works of art. Their designs should
therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
6.Good design is honest. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be
kept.
7.Good design is long-lasting. It is supposed to last for many years and make a product durable.
8.Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Nothing can be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and
accuracy in the design process show respect toward the consumer.
9.Good design is environmentally friendly. It conserves resources and minimizes pollution throughout the
lifecycle of the product.
10.Good design is as simple as possible. Less, but better, because it concentrates on the essential aspects.
Words and expressions
aesthetic adj.美学的
unobtrusive adj.不引人注目的，不显眼的
restrained adj. （行为）克制的，有节制的
arbitrary adj.任意的
conserve v. 节约（水，能源等）
Proper names
Dieter Rams 迪特尔·拉姆斯（1932 –，德国著名工业设计师）
Braun 博朗（德国公司）
1Introduce the unit topic by presenting which designs in Task 1 have received the most ticks according to Ucampus statistics and raising a discussion on what is good about them.
2Go through the infographic with the class to check Ss’ understanding of the ten principles and figure out those that need further explanations.
3Deal with the difficult principles by eliciting from Ss examples of products that meet or don’t meet the criteria.
4Ss work in groups to discuss the questions in Task 2. Ask 1-2 Ss to share their opinions.
1Ask Ss who Dieter Rams is and how important the ten principles were in his work.
2Encourage Ss to consider the difference between art and design.
Ss’ answers may be:
1)Dieter Rams (born 1932) is a German industrial designer and academic. He was the guiding force
of Braun, a famous consumer products company. He formulated his ten principles in the 1970s
as a way of deciding whether his own designs were good enough. He designed many classic
products using these principles.
2)Art is about creating visual impact (e.g., something beautiful, shocking, or thought-provoking).
Design involves a combination of visual impact and usefulness (e.g., something that looks
amazing and also works brilliantly).
Task 1Open-ended.
Task 2
1.I’m most impressed by the last one, “Good design is as simple as possible.” The first thing that strikes me
when I think of the word “design” is designer clothes and other products in boutique stores. They are often intricate, dazzling, and abundant with decorations, and they tend to have strong colors and unconventional designs. At the same time, things with little design, such as the clothes hangers we use every day, are often taken for granted. But these ordinary things are actually the most
extraordinary: they are simple to use, and unlike the fashionable clothes, they are unobtrusive. Perhaps this is the best form of design.
2.My favorite clothes hanger is the second one. First, it is thinner than a wooden one, so it would save
the space of my closet. Second, the non-slip design on both end s would stop clothes from slipping off.
Third,the small hooks make it easy to hang pants and strappy dresses. Last but not least, unlike the third hanger,it does not leave marks on clothes. The third one provides little support and as a result leaves bumps on clothes and damages the fabric, so it is only useful for small clothes. But this one just suits all sizes.
I chose the fabric suitcase. First, it is unobtrusive. It’s a lot more low-key compared to the other two
suitcases. I can take it to a trip without catching too much attention. Second, it is long-lasting. Suitcases with a shiny surface are easy to get scratched. But fabric is stronger, more durable and less likely to be scratched. Third, it is more practical. Fabric is more flexible than plastic, so fabric suitcases allow you to stuff more things into them. Fourth, it is lighter than leather suitcases, so it is the best choice for me.
Principles of good design
MARTA: Jack! Over here!
JACK: Oh, hey Marta. How’s it going?
MARTA: OK … I just went to Professor Malik’s office to ask about the assignment for the class I missed. He says we’re supposed to evaluate a product using the design principles of Dieter Rams. Who is he? I’m kind of behind on the reading for that class.
JACK: Again? OK well, he’s a German industrial designer who used to work for Braun, you know, the consumer products company? Back in the 1970s, he came up with 10 principles of good design that are still being followed today. Like, for example, a good design is innovative, long-lasting, environme
ntally friendly … And the most important one, I think, is that it should make the product understandable. He doesn’t believe in designs that have a lot of unnecessary features. You know the classic Braun calculator? Rams designed that and you can see the influence in the iPhone calculator today.
MARTA:Really? I think my dad has one of those calculators – they’re ancient. He’s not very good with technology, so I guess it must be fairly “understandable!” Ha-ha! Anyway, have you chosen a product to evaluate for the assignment yet?
JACK: Yeah. A door.
MARTA: A door?
JACK: Yeah. The door to the college library, to be exact. Look, here’s a photo … Can you see the problem? MARTA: Um … no. Not really.
JACK: Look at the handle. Are you supposed to pull or push it?
MARTA: Well … hmm. It’s not clear.
JACK: See, that’s the problem. It’s not clear. The handle is vertical, so naturally you want to pull on it. But that’s not how it works. You have to push. Dieter Rams would say it’s not understandable. Therefore it’s a bad design. MARTA: That’s so interesting. I’d never have thought of that.
JACK: I found out that there’s actually a name for badly designed doors. They’re called “Norman doors,” after Don Norman, who wrote a book called The Design of Everyday Things. He believes in what he calls “designing for humans,” which is similar to Dieter Rams’ principle that products should be understandable. Norman says doors are really simple devices. We shouldn’t need written instructions like “pull” or “push” to figure out what to do – it should be obvious from the design.
MARTA: I completely agree with him. I wish all products were designed like that.
JACK: Especially electronic devices, like phones or tablets …
MARTA: No kidding! My parents need a set of written instructions to use the TV remote!
JACK: Ha-ha! Yeah, mine can’t operate the microwave …
MARTA: Well, to be fair, I got a new coffee machine a few months ago, and I still don’t really understand how to use it. It’s got lots of great features, but I seem to spend more time reading the ins
truction manual than I do drinking the coffee.
JACK: Yeah, that’s just bad design. Complex equipment doesn’t need to be difficult to use.
MARTA: True. Argh … what am I going to evaluate for this assignment?

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