I found this post via one of the blogs that I regularly read and to summarize:

• Technology serves humans. Humans do not serve technology.
  The user shouldn’t feel stupid if your technology breaks
• Design is not Art.
  

  The litmus test. When people enjoy Art, they say “I like that”. When people enjoy Design, they say “That works well”. This is not by accident. Good Design is something that works well.

• The Experience Belongs to the User.
  

  Designers do not create experiences, they create artifacts to experience.

• Great Design is Invisible.
  

  Bad design is obvious because it hurts to use. It is awkward, difficult, and complex. In a great irony of the world, bad design is much easier to see than good design. It raps us on the head like a bully. Because of its success, great design is often invisible.

• Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.
  

  Simplicity is treading a line: knowing what to keep and what to throw away…it comes across as magic when it works, because none of the complexity is transferred to users…only simplicity.

This list is the crux of what I have been trying to get across to the class that I have been teaching. I have been harping on the difference between Art and Design. My definition of the Art vs. Design debate is this:

An artist can wait to be inspired. They personally pour themselves into their work and their value is tied to the product that they produce.

A designer can’t chose when to be creative, they must produce on the client’s schedule. Designers can not express themselves in overt ways through their product, they must meet the client’s needs. A designer must be satisfied with a client who is happy with a design that is not perfect.

I totally love this article and I plan on using it this week! Thank you Josh Porter, thank you very much.