Two Types of Designs

March 30th, 2025

I believe there are two types of designs:

1. Universe Designs

Focus on the entire product as an ecosystem. Different variants of a component, how a card fits into a view, how it behaves when X happens. And so on.

2. Happy Path Designs

Made for storytelling. A path from A to B. Visualizing a specific scenario.

Neither can live without the other.

Start with Universe Designs, and when building Happy Paths, you realize how many gaps and edge cases you missed.

Start with Happy Path Designs, and when building a Design System or jumping into development, you realize the Happy Path was too utopian. Often starting from scratch.