Good design is suggestive
Summary
- Good design may not explicity show something, but suggest that it can be done, allowing room for the imagination or multiple uses
Details
- in writing, not everything may be spelled out explicitly leaving the readers imagine to do the work
- A building or tool may have multiple uses, some that the maker did not even have in mind
- In science, your idea may be referenced by many other scientists
References
Quotes
GOOD DESIGN IS SUGGESTIVE. Jane Austen's novels contain almost no description; instead of telling you how everything looks, she tells her story so well that you envision the scene for yourself. Likewise, a painting that suggests is usually more engaging than one that tells. Everyone makes up their own story about the Mona Lisa.
In architecture and design, this principle means that a building or object should let you use it as you want: a good building, for example, will serve as a backdrop for whatever life people want to lead in it, instead of making them live as if they were executing a program written by the architect.
In software, it means you should give users a few basic elements that they can combine as they wish, like Lego. In math it means a proof that becomes the basis for a lot of new work is preferable to one that was difficult, but doesn't lead to future discoveries. In the sciences generally, citation is considered a rough indicator of merit.