The first secret of great design | Tony Fadell

譯者: 杏儀 歐陽 審譯者: Yamei Huang

In the great 1980s movie "The Blues Brothers,"

1980 年代一部很贊的電影 《福祿雙霸天》

there's a scene where John Belushi goes to visit Dan Aykroyd in his apartment

當中有一幕是約翰·貝魯奇 第一次去拜訪

in Chicago for the very first time.

丹·艾克洛德在芝加哥的家。

It's a cramped, tiny space

屋子又窄又小，

and it's just three feet away from the train tracks.

三尺之外就是火車軌道。

As John sits on Dan's bed,

約翰坐在丹的床上，

a train goes rushing by,

一列火車快速駛過，

rattling everything in the room.

整個屋子裡的東西都晃動起來。

John asks, "How often does that train go by?"

約翰問：「火車駛過有多頻繁？」

Dan replies, "So often, you won't even notice it."

丹就回答：「很頻繁， 頻繁到你根本不會察覺。」

And then, something falls off the wall.

然後，有東西從牆上掉下來。

We all know what he's talking about.

我們懂他指的是什麼。

As human beings, we get used to everyday things

我們人類，

對日常事物習慣得相當迅速。

really fast.

As a product designer, it's my job to see those everyday things,

作為一名產品設計師， 我的職責是察看日常事物，

to feel them, and try to improve upon them.

感受、然後試著改善這些事物。

For example, see this piece of fruit?

譬如，看到這個水果嗎？

See this little sticker?

看見這個小標籤嗎？

That sticker wasn't there when I was a kid.

我小的時候， 根本沒有這樣標籤。

But somewhere as the years passed,

但隨著歲月的流逝，在某個地方

someone had the bright idea to put that sticker on the fruit.

有某位人士想法很了不起 將這小標籤黏在水果上。

Why?

目的是什麼？

So it could be easier for us

目的是方便我們

to check out at the grocery counter.

在商店櫃檯過機。

Well that's great,

這很棒，

we can get in and out of the store quickly.

我們可以快速購物。

But now, there's a new problem.

但現在有一個新的問題。

When we get home and we're hungry

當我們到家，肚子餓壞了，

and we see this ripe, juicy piece of fruit on the counter,

我們看見桌上這個豐富多汁的水果，

we just want to pick it up and eat it.

我們想拿起就吃。

Except now, we have to look for this little sticker.

不過現在，我們得找出這個小標籤。

And dig at it with our nails, damaging the flesh.

用手指甲把它挖出來， 同時也破壞了果肉。

Then rolling up that sticker --

然後捲起這個小標籤——

you know what I mean.

你懂我的。

And then trying to flick it off your fingers.

然後試著把它甩走。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

It's not fun,

不好玩。

not at all.

一點都不好玩。

But something interesting happened.

但有趣的事情發生了。

See the first time you did it, you probably felt those feelings.

看，你第一次經歷時， 你可能有上述的感想。

You just wanted to eat the piece of fruit.

你不過想吃掉這個水果。

You felt upset.

你覺得不爽。

You just wanted to dive in.

你只想一口咬下去。

By the 10th time,

但經歷過十次之後，

you started to become less upset

你就開始習慣了

and you just started peeling the label off.

然後你就開始把標籤摘掉。

By the 100th time, at least for me,

經歷過 100 次之後， 至少對於我來說，

I became numb to it.

我開始對此麻木了。

I simply picked up the piece of fruit,

我只會簡單拿起這水果，

dug at it with my nails, tried to flick it off,

用指甲挖走標籤， 試著把它甩走，

and then wondered,

然後就想，

"Was there another sticker?"

「還有第二個標籤嗎？」

So why is that?

為什麼會這樣？

Why do we get used to everyday things?

為什麼我們 會對日常事物習以為常？

Well as human beings, we have limited brain power.

作為人類，我們的腦力有限。

And so our brains encode the everyday things we do into habits

因此我們的大腦內化 我們經常做的日常事物，

so we can free up space to learn new things.

這樣我們就可以騰出空間 去學習新的東西。

It's a process called habituation

這個內化過程叫「習慣化」

and it's one of the most basic ways, as humans, we learn.

這是我們人類最基本的 學習方式之一。

Now, habituation isn't always bad.

其實，習慣化不總是壞事。

Remember learning to drive?

記不記得學開車？

I sure do.

我當然記得。

Your hands clenched at 10 and 2 on the wheel,

雙手緊抓方向盤的 十點鐘和兩點鐘方向，

looking at every single object out there --

觀察著外面的每樣事物——

the cars, the lights, the pedestrians.

車輛、燈光、行人。

It's a nerve-wracking experience.

這經歷相當神經緊張。

So much so, that I couldn't even talk to anyone else in the car

緊張得不行，緊張得 無法跟車裡的人聊天

and I couldn't even listen to music.

甚至連音樂也聽不進去。

But then something interesting happened.

但是有趣的事情發生了。

As the weeks went by, driving became easier and easier.

數週之後，開車變得越來越簡單。

You habituated it.

你習慣開車了。

It started to become fun and second nature.

開車變得有趣了， 成了你的第二天性。

And then, you could talk to your friends again

你又可以跟車裡的朋友聊天

and listen to music.

可以在車裡聽音樂。

So there's a good reason why our brains habituate things.

所以我們的大腦習慣化事情 是好事。

If we didn't, we'd notice every little detail,

如果我們不去習慣， 我們得每時每刻都關注著

all the time.

每樣瑣碎的細節。

It would be exhausting,

這樣得多費神，

and we'd have no time to learn about new things.

我們就沒有時間去學習新事物。

But sometimes, habituation isn't good.

但有時習慣化不是好事。

If it stops us from noticing the problems that are around us,

如果習慣讓我們 無法留神身邊的問題，

well, that's bad.

那就不妙了。

And if it stops us from noticing and fixing those problems,

如果習慣讓我們無法 注意、解決這些問題，

well, then that's really bad.

那就真不妙。

Comedians know all about this.

喜劇演員懂得這個道理。

Jerry Seinfeld's entire career was built on noticing those little details,

傑里·賽恩菲爾德的整個演藝生涯 就是建立在注意細節上，

those idiotic things we do every day that we don't even remember.

我們每天都做的蠢事， 自己也記不得。

He tells us about the time he visited his friends

他說有一次他去朋友家，

and he just wanted to take a comfortable shower.

想洗一個舒服的澡。

He'd reach out and grab the handle and turn it slightly one way,

他伸手去抓住把手 稍微往一邊扭開，

and it was 100 degrees too hot.

水燙得不行，

And then he'd turn it the other way, and it was 100 degrees too cold.

然後他將把手調往另一邊， 水又變得太冷。

He just wanted a comfortable shower.

他不過想洗個舒服澡。

Now, we've all been there,

嗯，我們都有過這樣的經歷。

we just don't remember it.

只是記不住而已。

But Jerry did,

但是傑里記住了，

and that's a comedian's job.

這就是喜劇演員的工作。

But designers, innovators and entrepreneurs,

但是設計師、革新者、企業家，

it's our job to not just notice those things,

我們的工作不只是注意到這些東西，

but to go one step further and try to fix them.

還要再邁一步，試著解決這些問題。

See this, this person,

看，這個人，

this is Mary Anderson.

這是瑪麗·安德森。

In 1902 in New York City,

1902 年她來到紐約。

she was visiting.

她去拜訪紐約。

It was a cold, wet, snowy day and she was warm inside a streetcar.

那天又冷又濕，雪下不停， 她在電車上挺暖和的。

As she was going to her destination, she noticed the driver opening the window

列車前進時， 她注意到電車司機打開窗戶

to clean off the excess snow so he could drive safely.

去清理窗上堆積的雪 好讓他安全開車。

When he opened the window, though, he let all this cold, wet air inside,

但是，當他打開車窗， 他讓滿面的冷濕空氣入侵，

making all the passengers miserable.

車上的乘客都痛苦不堪。

Now probably, most of those passengers just thought,

可能大部分乘客只會想：

"It's a fact of life, he's got to open the window to clean it.

「這就是人生，他得開窗清雪。」

That's just how it is."

「很正常。」

But Mary didn't.

但是瑪麗不這樣想。

Mary thought,

瑪麗想：

"What if the diver could actually clean the windshield from the inside

「要是司機可以從裡面清理車窗，

so that he could stay safe and drive

讓他可以安全駕駛，

and the passengers could actually stay warm?"

也讓乘客不受寒侵？」

So she picked up her sketchbook right then and there,

她馬上拿出掃描本，

and began drawing what would become the world's first windshield wiper.

開始描畫世界上第一個雨刮。

Now as a product designer, I try to learn from people like Mary

作為一名產品設計師， 我致力向像瑪麗那樣的人學習，

to try to see the world the way it really is,

致力觀察世界真正的運作方式，

not the way we think it is.

而不老是理所當然。

Why?

為什麼？

Because it's easy to solve a problem that almost everyone sees.

因為人人都注意到的問題 很容易解決。

But it's hard to solve a problem that almost no one sees.

但是無人注意到的問題 很難解決。

Now some people think you're born with this ability

有些人認為自己天生 有能力解決這些問題

or you're not,

或者相反，

as if Mary Anderson was hardwired at birth to see the world more clearly.

以為瑪麗·安德森天生異才 才看世界看得特別清楚。

That wasn't the case for me.

那不是我。

I had to work at it.

我得花功夫。

During my years at Apple,

我在蘋果工作的那幾年，

Steve Jobs challenged us to come into work every day,

史蒂夫·賈伯斯會挑戰我們， 每天來上班，

to see our products through the eyes of the customer,

讓我們從客戶的眼光 看自己的產品，

the new customer,

從新客戶的角度考慮，

the one that has fears and possible frustrations

新客戶會有恐懼、 可能感受過挫敗、

and hopeful exhilaration that their new technology product

會興奮地期望 他們的新技術產品

could work straightaway for them.

能夠為他們提供便捷服務。

He called it staying beginners,

賈伯斯稱之為「保持初始心態」，

and wanted to make sure that we focused on those tiny little details

他想確保我們專注微小細節，

to make them faster, easier and seamless for the new customers.

給新客戶呈現 更快、更簡單、更無暇的產品。

So I remember this clearly in the very earliest days of the iPod.

我清楚記得剛開發 iPod 時 的這個經歷。

See, back in the '90s,

90 年代的時候，

being a gadget freak like I am,

像我這樣喜歡科技產品的怪胎，

I would rush out to the store for the very, very latest gadget.

我會跑去商店 買最新最新的科技產品。

I'd take all the time to get to the store,

我會專門花時間去商店，

I'd check out, I'd come back home, I'd start to unbox it.

付款之後，回到家， 我就開始拆包裝。

And then, there was another little sticker:

然後，上面又有一個小標籤：

the one that said, "Charge before use."

寫著：「使用前請充電」

What!

什麼！

I can't believe it!

難以置信！

I just spent all this time buying this product

我剛剛才花這麼多時間 去買這產品，

and now I have to charge before use.

現在我得充了電才能用。

I have to wait what felt like an eternity to use that coveted new toy.

我得遙遙無期地等待， 等著使用這新寶貝。

It was crazy.

簡直要瘋掉。

But you know what?

但你知道嗎？

Almost every product back then did that.

那時候幾乎所有產品都這樣。

When it had batteries in it,

要是產品有電池，

you had to charge it before you used it.

你得先充電才能使用。

Well, Steve noticed that

史蒂夫注意到了，

and he said,

"We're not going to let that happen to our product."

他說：

「我們不會讓這情況 出現在我們的產品上。」

So what did we do?

我們怎麼做？

Typically, when you have a product that has a hard drive in it,

一般，要是產品有硬碟，

you run it for about 30 minutes in the factory

就要在工廠內 讓產品運行 30 分鐘

to make sure that hard drive's going to be working years later

以確保出售後， 客戶拆開包裝之後，

for the customer after they pull it out of the box.

硬碟仍能長期運作正常。

What did we do instead?

我們又採取什麼辦法呢？

We ran that product for over two hours.

我們讓產品運作超過 2 小時。

Why?

為什麼？

Well, first off, we could make a higher quality product,

首先，這樣我們可以生產 更高質量的產品，

be easy to test,

讓產品易於測試，

and make sure it was great for the customer.

並確保客戶喜歡這樣產品。

But most importantly,

但最重要的是，

the battery came fully charged right out of the box,

包裝裡的電池完全充滿電，

ready to use.

隨時都可用。

So that customer, with all that exhilaration,

這樣，充滿期待和歡喜的客戶

could just start using the product.

就可以馬上使用產品。

It was great, and it worked.

這辦法非常棒，很有效。

People liked it.

人們很喜歡。

Today, almost every product that you get that's battery powered

今天，幾乎所有帶電池的產品

comes out of the box fully charged,

打開時，電池都是充滿電的，

even if it doesn't have a hard drive.

即使產品沒有硬碟。

But back then, we noticed that detail and we fixed it,

但在此之前，我們 注意到、處理了這個細節，

and now everyone else does that as well.

而且現在所有人都這樣做。

No more, "Charge before use."

不再有「用前請充電」。

So why am I telling you this?

為什麼我要講這件事？

Well, it's seeing the invisible problem,

這是關於看到無形的問題，

not just the obvious problem, that's important,

不只是明顯的問題， 這很重要，

not just for product design, but for everything we do.

不僅對產品設計很重要， 對我們做的所有事情都很重要。

You see, there are invisible problems all around us,

大家看，我們身邊有無形的問題，

ones we can solve.

我們可以解決的問題。

But first we need to see them, to feel them.

但首先我們要 看到、感覺到這些問題。

So, I'm hesitant to give you any tips

我不確定是否要向各位

about neuroscience or psychology.

提供神經學或心理學上的小建議。

There's far too many experienced people in the TED community

TED 的圈子裡有太多的能人異士，

who would know much more about that than I ever will.

他們對這方面的了解 遠超我所能。

But let me leave you with a few tips that I do,

但讓我留給大家 我的一些實踐建議，

that we all can do, to fight habituation.

大家都可用這些建議 來對抗習慣化。

My first tip is to look broader.

我的第一條建議是： 看得更廣。

You see, when you're tackling a problem,

當你在處理問題時，

sometimes, there are a lot of steps that lead up to that problem.

有時引發問題的步驟有很多。

And sometimes, a lot of steps after it.

有時，問題出現後 又有很多其他步驟。

If you can take a step back and look broader,

如果你可以退一步，看得更廣，

maybe you can change some of those boxes

也許你可以在問題發生前

before the problem.

改變其中一些元素。

Maybe you can combine them.

也許你可以結合一些元素。

Maybe you can remove them altogether to make that better.

也許你可以把它們一起摒棄。

Take thermostats, for instance.

拿自動調溫器為例。

In the 1900s when they first came out, they were really simple to use.

20 世紀初初次出現時， 調溫器相當易使。

You could turn them up or turn them down.

你可以調節溫度。

People understood them.

大家都會用。

But in the 1970s,

但在 20 世紀 70 年代，

the energy crisis struck,

能源危機降臨，

and customers started thinking about how to save energy.

顧客開始考慮如何節能。

So what happened?

然後怎樣？

Thermostat designers decided to add a new step.

調溫器設計師 決定插入一個新步驟。

Instead of just turning up and down,

你不能簡單調節溫度，

you now had to program it.

你得事先設定調溫器。

So you could tell it the temperature you wanted at a certain time.

你可以設定某個時間段的理想溫度。

Now that seemed great.

聽上去很棒。

Every thermostat had started adding that feature.

所有調溫器都開始添加這功能。

But it turned out that no one saved any energy.

但是結果沒人真正節能。

Now, why is that?

為什麼？

Well, people couldn't predict the future.

大家無法預測未來。

They just didn't know how their weeks would change season to season,

大家不知道幾週內 會發生什麼改變，

季節不同，年份不同。

year to year.

So no one was saving energy,

因此沒有人真正在節能，

and what happened?

然後呢？

Thermostat designers went back to the drawing board

調溫器設計師回歸原來的設計，

and they focused on that programming step.

專注於溫度設定這一步。

They made better U.I.s,

他們做了更好的用戶界面，

they made better documentation.

做了更好的記錄。

But still, years later, people were not saving any energy

但數年之後，人們仍然沒有節能，

because they just couldn't predict the future.

因為他們就是不能預測未來。

So what did we do?

我們採取了什麼辦法？

We put a machine-learning algorithm in instead of the programming

我們添加了一個機器學習算法， 而不是設定程式，

that would simply watch when you turned it up and down,

這個算法會簡單觀察 你什麼時候調高溫、低溫

when you liked a certain temperature when you got up,

什麼時候你喜歡什麼溫度， 你起床時，

or when you went away.

或者你出門時。

And you know what?

然後呢？

It worked.

這行之有效。

People are saving energy without any programming.

人們無需任何設定 就可以節能。

So, it doesn't matter what you're doing.

你做什麼並不重要。

If you take a step back and look at all the boxes,

如果你退一步看所有的元素，

maybe there's a way to remove one or combine them

也許找到辦法 減少或結合一些元素，

so that you can make that process much simpler.

這樣你就可以讓事情簡單很多。

So that's my first tip: look broader.

那就是我的第一條建議： 看得更廣。

For my second tip, it's to look closer.

我的第二條建議： 看得更近。

One of my greatest teachers was my grandfather.

我最棒的老師之一 是我的祖父。

He taught me all about the world.

他教我學會這個世界。

He taught me how things were built and how they were repaired,

他教我如何建東西、 如何修理東西、

the tools and techniques necessary to make a successful project.

專案成功所需的工具和技術。

I remember one story he told me about screws,

我記得他說過 一個關於螺釘的故事，

and about how you need to have the right screw for the right job.

需要有對的螺釘 來完成對的工作。

There are many different screws:

世上有很多不同的螺釘：

wood screws, metal screws, anchors, concrete screws,

木螺絲、金屬螺絲、 固定螺絲、自攻螺絲，

the list went on and on.

種類多得很。

Our job is to make products that are easy to install

我們的任務是 確保產品容易安裝，

for all of our customs themselves without professionals.

無需專業知識， 所有客戶都會使用。

So what did we do?

我們怎樣做？

I remembered that story that my grandfather told me,

我記得祖父告訴我的故事，

and so we thought,

所以我們想：

"How many different screws can we put in the box?

「盒子裡我們能放 多少種不同的螺絲？

Was it going to be two, three, four, five?

是要放兩顆、三顆還是四顆？

Because there's so many different wall types."

因為牆的種類也有很多。」

So we thought about it, we optimized it,

我們認真考慮，進行優化，

and we came up with three different screws to put in the box.

我們決定放三種螺絲在盒子裡。

We thought that was going to solve the problem.

我們認為那就可以解決問題。

But it turned out, it didn't.

但結果是不行。

So we shipped the product,

所有我們寄出產品，

and people weren't having a great experience.

人們不是很喜歡。

So what did we do?

我們怎樣做？

We went back to the drawing board

我們意識到做得不好之後，

just instantly after we figured out we didn't get it right.

馬上重新構想設計。

And we designed a special screw, a custom screw,

我們設計了一種特別的螺絲： 客製化螺絲，

much to the chagrin of our investors.

我們的投資者很懊惱，

They were like, "Why are you spending so much time on a little screw?

他們說：「為什麼花那麼多時間 在一個小螺絲上？」

Get out there and sell more!"

「出去推銷更多螺絲！」

And we said, "We will sell more if we get this right."

我們就說：「如果弄對了， 我們會賣更多螺絲。」

And it turned out, we did.

結果是我們成功了。

With that custom little screw, there was just one screw in the box,

盒子裡只放了一個螺絲 ——客製化螺絲，

that was easy to mount and put on the wall.

容易安裝在牆上。

So if we focus on those tiny details, the ones we may not see

因此要是我們專注於微小細節， 我們可能看不到的細節，

and we look at them as we say,

我們問自己：

"Are those important

「這些重要嗎？

or is that the way we've always done it?

還是我們一直就這樣做？

Maybe there's a way to get rid of those."

也許有辦法可以擺脫這些東西。」

So my last piece of advice is to think younger.

我最後一點建議是： 想得更年輕。

Every day, I'm confronted with interesting questions from my three young kids.

每天我的三個小孩 都會問我各種有趣的問題。

They come up with questions like,

他們會想出各種問題：

"Why can't cars fly around traffic?"

「為什麼汽車不能飛過其他車？」

Or, "Why don't my shoelaces have Velcro instead?"

「為什麼我的鞋帶沒有魔術貼？」

Sometimes, those questions are smart.

有時那些問題很聰明。

My son came to me the other day and I asked him,

我兒子有天走過來，我說：

"Go run out to the mailbox and check it."

「跑過去郵箱 看看有沒有郵件。」

He looked at me, puzzled, and said,

他疑惑地看著我說：

"Why doesn't the mailbox just check itself and tell us when it has mail?" (Laughter)

「為什麼郵箱不能自己去看， 然後告訴我們？」（笑聲）

I was like, "That's a pretty good question."

我就說：「問得好。」

So, they can ask tons of questions

他們可能問一大堆問題，

and sometimes we find out we just don't have the right answers.

有時我們發現 我們就是沒有對的答案。

We say, "Son, that's just the way the world works."

我們說：「兒子， 那就是世界運作的方式。」

So the more we're exposed to something,

我們越多地接觸到東西，

the more we get used to it.

我們就越習慣世界。

But kids haven't been around long enough

但是孩子們接觸有限

to get used to those things.

還沒完全習慣那些事物。

And so when they run into problems,

所以當他們遇到問題，

they immediately try to solve them,

他們馬上試著解決問題，

and sometimes they find a better way,

有時他們找到更好的辦法，

and that way really is better.

他們的辦法確實更優。

So my advice that we take to heart is to have young people on your team,

所以我的衷心建議是： 讓年輕人加入你的隊伍，

or people with young minds.

或者是有年輕心態的人。

Because if you have those young minds,

因為要是你有這些年輕的思想，

they cause everyone in the room to think younger.

他們會讓隊伍的想法更年輕。

Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist.

畢加索說過： 「每個小孩都是藝術家。

The problem is when he or she grows up, is how to remain an artist."

問題是當他們成長時， 如何讓他們一直藝術家。」

We all saw the world more clearly when we saw it for the first time,

第一次看世界時， 我們總看得更清楚，

before a lifetime of habits got in the way.

那時長期的習慣還沒形成。

Our challenge is to get back there,

我們的挑戰是回到那個時候，

to feel that frustration,

去感受挫敗，

to see those little details,

去察看那些微小細節，

to look broader,

去看得更廣，

look closer,

看得更近，

and to think younger

想得更年輕，

so we can stay beginners.

讓我們可以保持初始心態。

It's not easy.

這並不容易。

It requires us pushing back

這需要我們對抗，

against one of the most basic ways we make sense of the world.

對抗我們理解世界 的最基本方式之一。

But if we do,

但要是我們做到，

we could do some pretty amazing things.

我們可以做一些很棒的事情。

For me, hopefully, that's better product design.

對於我來說， 希望是更好的產品設計。

For you, that could mean something else, something powerful.

對於大家，那可能是不同的東西， 厲害的東西。

Our challenge is to wake up each day and say,

我們的挑戰是 每天起床問自己：

"How can I experience the world better?"

「我如何能更好地體驗世界？」

And if we do, maybe, just maybe,

要是我們做到了， 也許，只是也許，

we can get rid of these dumb little stickers.

我們可以跟這些傻標籤說再見。

Thank you very much.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）