Opinionated Design; if you please everyone, you will please no one

What is Opinionated Design?

Working in an opinionated way means having a strong, clear point of view on how things should be done. It's like saying, "This is the best way to do this specific thing, and we're sticking to it." Instead of considering every possible option or listening to every single user, you follow a specific path or method because you believe it's the most effective or efficient. It's about having a strong opinion on what works best and applying that approach consistently in your work.

This means not everyone will love your product. But the users who do are fanatical.

"... a product that’s deeply loved by a small group of early users is a product that can scale. I agree. And in fact, I believe it’s more important to have 100 people who LOVE your product than a million who just sort of like it. ..." – Reid Hoffman on Customer love is all you need

When I started building Tooling Studio, I had a clear conviction that I should adhere to opinionated design ethics as I want my product to have a strong, and clear way of doing things. It's about making deliberate choices based on a specific viewpoint, rather than being neutral or overly flexible which kills simplification. Imagine it as giving your product a unique personality with a set of preferred colors, fonts, and layouts. Again, not everyone will love it. But if you try to please everyone, you will please no one.

How I’m Including this Framework into Kanban Tasks

I’m currently building a curated suite of tools to enhance the productivity of users who are already using Google Workspace. It’s an obvious improvement on the existing limitations of Google Tasks. The first product under construction is Kanban Tasks.

This tool helps users to effortlessly oversee and organize their Google Tasks through an intuitive Kanban Board interface. It will soon help in establishing and sharing several boards to facilitate team collaboration. It also allows fluid arrangement and rearrangement of tasks with a simple drag-and-drop functionality.

The way I embed the Opinionated Design Framework into the product is by embedding some elements of the ‘Get Sh*t Done’ approach. I’ll create a permanent ‘Get Work Done’ board, this board can’t be removed or renamed. Every task with a due date that falls into ‘This Week’ or ‘Today’ will be visible on this board. Next to that, I will make it way easier for my users to add a Due Date to a task. Increasing efficiency and streamlining the working progress.

I believe that an approach like this can lead to a more cohesive and memorable user experience, as the design is guided by a distinct vision or opinion.

The Benefits of Opinionated Design for Your Product

In the context of creating digital products, working in an opinionated way can be beneficial for several reasons:

Consistency

Having a set of strong opinions ensures a consistent and unified UX throughout the product. Users can navigate and interact with the product more intuitively when design and functionality follow a clear and cohesive vision.

Efficiency

Opinionated frameworks or methodologies can streamline many processes. By adhering to a set of predefined rules and best practices, teams can work more efficiently because every user will see similar things, reducing the time and effort spent on communication and or decision-making.

User-Centric Design

Opinionated approaches often stem from a deep understanding of user needs and behaviors. By committing to a specific viewpoint, teams can prioritize user experience, ensuring that the product is tailored to meet the expectations and preferences of the target audience.

Rapid Iteration

Opinionated frameworks can provide a solid foundation for rapid iteration. Since many decisions are pre-made based on established opinions, teams can focus on refining and improving specific aspects of the product without getting bogged down by every decision point.

Clarity in Communication

An opinionated approach fosters clear communication within the team. Everyone understands the guiding principles and can align their efforts toward a common goal. It minimizes misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding the product's direction.

However, it's important to strike a balance. Being too rigid in an opinionated approach might lead to overlooking valuable insights or innovations. Therefore, teams should periodically reassess their opinions, considering user feedback and industry advancements to ensure the continued relevance and success of the digital product.

Examples of Successful Products with Opinionated Design

Several successful products and companies have employed an opinionated design approach, which has significantly contributed to their success. Here are some notable examples:

Notion

Notion is a productivity tool that integrates notes, tasks, databases, and calendars into one platform. It is known for its opinionated design, which emphasizes flexibility within a structured framework. Notion's approach challenges incumbents like Confluence by offering a unique philosophy on how knowledge and project management should be handled. This strong, opinionated stance has helped Notion differentiate itself and become a popular choice among users who appreciate its integrated and customizable features (source).

Roam Research

Roam Research is another example of a product that has gained a strong following due to its opinionated design. Roam is a note-taking tool that emphasizes networked thought, allowing users to create and link notes in a non-linear fashion. This approach is different from traditional note-taking apps and has resonated with users who value the ability to see connections between their ideas. Roam's strong viewpoint on how knowledge should be managed has turned it into a movement, with a dedicated user base that advocates for its unique methodology (source).

Jasper

Jasper, an AI content generation platform, is designed with a specific audience in mind—marketers. The product is built to cater to the needs of content marketers by providing tools that are simple yet powerful. Jasper's opinionated design focuses on delivering specific solutions for content creation, lead generation, and brand awareness. By understanding and addressing the specific pain points of marketers, Jasper has created a product that is highly useful and tailored to its target audience, contributing to its success (source).

Intercom

Intercom, a customer messaging platform, balances opinionated design with flexibility. The company's principle of being "opinionated by default and flexible under the hood" means that their solutions are easy to use out of the box but can be customized to meet specific needs. This approach ensures that the product is functional and appealing to a wide range of users while maintaining a clear vision. Intercom's ability to offer both default behaviors and customization options has made it a popular choice for businesses looking for effective customer support solutions (source).

Microsoft Encarta

Microsoft Encarta, though no longer in existence, was an early example of an opinionated product. Encarta was a digital encyclopedia that offered a curated and structured approach to information, contrasting with the more open and user-generated content model of Wikipedia. By focusing on delivering high-quality, vetted information in a user-friendly format, Encarta was able to attract a significant user base during its time (source).

Opinionated design approaches have helped these products and companies succeed by providing clear, focused solutions to specific problems. This approach often leads to easier prioritization, more effective marketing, and stronger user engagement. By knowing what problems they solve and how they solve them, these products can differentiate themselves in the market and build dedicated user bases.

Potential Drawbacks and Risks of Being Too Opinionated in Product Design

Being too opinionated in product design can have several potential drawbacks and risks. However, teams can find the right balance by considering various strategies.

Drawbacks and Risks of Being Too Opinionated in Product Design

1. Limited Appeal:

   • Opinionated designs often cater to a specific user base, which can narrow the product's appeal. Users who do not share the same vision or preferences may find the product unsuitable for their needs, leading to a smaller market segment (source, source).

2. Inflexibility:

   • Highly opinionated products may lack flexibility, making it difficult for users to customize the product to fit their specific requirements. This can be particularly problematic for advanced users who prefer customization and control over their tools (source, source, source).

3. Increased Costs:

   • Developing an opinionated product requires careful decision-making and may involve higher costs in terms of time and resources. Additionally, catering to specific user needs without compromising the core vision can lead to increased development complexity and costs (source).

4. User Frustration:

   • If users do not align with the opinions embedded in the product, they may experience frustration and dissatisfaction. This can result in negative user experiences and potentially drive users to seek alternative solutions (source).

5. Risk of Alienation:

   • By focusing too heavily on a particular vision, there is a risk of alienating potential users who might have different needs or preferences. This can limit the product's growth and adoption (source, source).

Finding the Right Balance

To strike the right balance between opinionated and flexible design, teams can adopt several strategies:

1. Understand Your Users:

   • Conduct thorough research to understand the needs, preferences, and pain points of your target audience. This helps in making informed decisions about which opinions to embed in the product and which areas to leave flexible (source, source).

2. Offer Customization Options:

   • Design the product to be opinionated by default but flexible under the hood. Provide default settings and templates that cater to the majority of users while allowing advanced users to customize the product to suit their specific needs (source).

3. Iterate and Test:

   • Continuously test and iterate on the product design based on user feedback. Prototyping and user testing can help identify areas where the product may be too rigid or too flexible, allowing for adjustments before the final release (source).

4. Balance Vision and Flexibility:

   • Maintain a clear vision for the product while being open to adjustments based on user feedback. This involves prioritizing core features that align with the product's vision and offering flexibility in non-core areas (source, source).

5. Educate Users:

   • Provide educational resources, such as tutorials and guides, to help users understand the product's vision and how to make the most of its features. This can reduce frustration and improve user satisfaction (source).

6. Use Defaults Wisely:

   • Implement sensible default settings that work for most users while allowing customization for those who need it. This approach can help cater to both novice and advanced users without compromising the product's vision (source, source).

By carefully considering these strategies, teams can create products that are both opinionated and flexible, ensuring they meet the needs of a diverse user base while staying true to their vision.

Opinionated Design vs. User-Centered Design vs. Design Thinking

Opinionated Design

Opinionated design involves making deliberate decisions about how a product should be used, often limiting user customization to ensure a consistent experience. The design reflects a strong, clear vision from the designer, suggesting the "best" way to use the product. This approach can lead to a more streamlined and efficient user experience but may alienate users who prefer more flexibility and customization options (source, source).

User-Centered Design

User-centered design (UCD) is a philosophy that places the user's needs, preferences, and feedback at the forefront of the design process. It involves continuous user involvement through research, design, evaluation, and implementation stages to ensure the product is useful, usable, and desirable (source, source). UCD is highly iterative and flexible, adapting to user feedback to refine the product continually.

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a broader, creative problem-solving approach that also emphasizes understanding user needs but extends beyond product design to address various types of problems. It follows five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, and encourages iterative cycles of refinement based on user feedback (source, source). Design thinking incorporates technological feasibility and business goals alongside user needs, making it applicable to a wide range of contexts.

Areas of Overlap

• User Focus: All three methodologies emphasize understanding and addressing user needs. Both UCD and design thinking involve user research, testing, and feedback to inform design decisions (source, source).
• Iterative Process: UCD and design thinking are iterative, allowing for continuous improvement based on user feedback. Opinionated design can also iterate but typically within the constraints of the initial vision (source, source).
• Empathy and Creativity: Both UCD and design thinking foster empathy and creativity, encouraging designers to deeply understand users and generate innovative solutions (source, source).

Areas of Conflict

• Flexibility vs. Direction: Opinionated design often conflicts with UCD and design thinking in terms of flexibility. UCD and design thinking prioritize adapting to user feedback, while opinionated design adheres to a specific vision, potentially limiting user customization and adaptability (source, source, source).
• Scope of Application: Design thinking can be applied to a wide range of problems beyond product design, including organizational processes and policies. UCD is more specific to product design, and opinionated design is typically more rigid and narrowly focused (source, source).
• User Involvement: UCD and design thinking heavily involve users throughout the design process, whereas opinionated design may make decisions without extensive user input, relying on the designer's vision and expertise (source, source).

Conclusion

While opinionated design offers a clear, consistent user experience by adhering to a strong vision, it may not suit all users, especially those who value customization and flexibility. User-centered design and design thinking both prioritize user needs and iterative improvement but differ in scope and application. UCD is more product-specific, while design thinking is a versatile methodology applicable to various problem-solving contexts. Understanding these distinctions helps designers choose the appropriate approach based on the project's goals and user requirements.