Design Series I. Conceptual Integrity

Anywhere you look in your system, you can tell the design is part of the same overall design.

Let’s take this pencil. It looks like how it’s used. That’s Conceptual Integrity.

In 1975, IBM pioneer Fred Brooks wrote a seminal book in systems architecture, The Mythical Man Month. In it, he describes the property where something is straightforward, easy to use and understand, as ‘conceptual integrity’. The concept of the item is easy to see. It was maintained from idea to end product. All elements resonate.

It’s not enough for something to be elementary (have a few parts). It must also be easy to use and understand. Take a door for example - how many times have you pulled in the wrong direction, or even run into one!

Something can have a huge number of moving parts, but be straightforward. Think of a watch or a car. We all get that a watch tells the time, and car exists to take us from A to B.

SPECIAL BENEFITS

When we embrace Conceptual Integrity, we open ourselves up to better design and special enhancements across all our systems.

Example 1. Merrithew’s STOTT PILATES®

Merrithew don’t bother with sales questions like ‘Why Pilates?’ ‘Why is this so expensive?’ They assume clients want the best and simply present: STOTT PILATES®. It began in 1988 as a two-person business, and thanks to strong, consistent, and standard branding, it is today the worldwide institution and gold standard for Pilates.

Conceptual integrity means that every element, from the exact exercise, to programming of workout, to series of trainings and workshops, reflect one design idea. STOTT PILATES® is founded on ‘Five Basic Principles’ echoed in all their movements. Their branding and language are clear and consistent across all their products.

There are thousands of instructors and students around the world - check the city you’re in. As a result of having conceptual integrity, Merrithew enjoy:

• Quality control over products, irrespective of instructors around the world

• Central, uniform systems, regardless of the number of branches around the world

• It’s easy to teach, train, grow and monitor for both instructors and clients

• Every client has the same experience, improving reputation and referrals

Example 2. Apple

Apple’s products all work together. They match and are easy to use. Apple’s strong Conceptual Integrity means they are also able to build a cloud of services which you access with an Apple ID, and use Airdrop to easily send files between devices.

Interestingly, Apple in 1984 was one of the first companies to bring the WIMP interface to the forefront: ‘Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer’. WIMP is just one person’s idea of how users can interact with a computer. It’s an abstraction or representation of an idea - one that is widely used and taken as normal today.

YOUR TURN

• Begin any project with love and curation. Create your Vision Statements. Collate your moodboard, graphic design. Define your principles and values. Know what your Success Result is, visualise it.

• What’s my central idea? What’s my strongest selling point?

• Is there anything that detracts? Consider the 80/20 principle.

• Do I have a minimal set of functions/services? Is each one important? See Design Series II. Tetrahedron.

• Set up for success. How can I structure my team/project so that my design idea is easily conveyed and retains its integrity? Assign each role to only one team member.

RESOURCes

Merrithew’s Website, Course Manual Preview, Brand Guidelines

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines for App Store Submissions

‘Conceptual Integrity’ of Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks

Excerpts

"I will contend that conceptual integrity is the most important consideration in system design. It is better to have a system omit certain anomalous features and improvements, but to reflect one set of design ideas, than to have one that contains many good but independent and uncoordinated ideas." - Fred Brooks

"Conceptual integrity in turn dictates that the design must proceed from one mind, or from a very small number of agreeing resonant minds." - Fred Brooks

“Conceptual integrity is extremely important in product designs. See an API that is very easy to use, even without documentation? See the employees in an organization articulate the product concepts in a consistent manner? These are all results of conceptual integrity that has been successfully achieved.” - Architecture

RELATED

DESIGN SERIES II. tetrahedron
DESIGN SERIES III. figure in marble