This kind of design-by-politics is common, in cities, nations and sometimes even in products themselves.

The goal isn’t to get it right, as that’s impossible. Instead the goal is to make something that can be learned from.

even for the brightest designers we have, it will be their ability to lead, persuade and collaborate with those in power, and their fellow citizens, that will guide to us making a better world.

smart organizations learn how good designers are at discovering these problems early on, when they’re cheaper and easier to solve.

Technopoly by Neil Postman is a must-read for exposing our blind spots about the faith we put in technology

Designers overestimate the value of their improvements, and underestimate the compounding relearning costs they create for their customers.

To paraphrase Wendell Berry, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Designers and entrepreneurs deserve their fair share of the credit for moving us forward, but should be just as accountable for how they’ve sent us backward.

Tradeoffs are central to understanding design. It’s inevitable in any pursuit that some goals you want to achieve are in tension with others.