50

Good design is a cupcake

over 8 years ago from

I'm so sick of these article titles.

27 comments

  • Abhijeet WankhadeAbhijeet Wankhade, over 8 years ago

    Great UX is like a banana.

    23 points
  • Wade MullerWade Muller, over 8 years ago

    Insert some stupid metaphor about how a cupcake relates barely to design.

    8 points
    • Ryan MurphyRyan Murphy, over 8 years ago

      A cupcake is a regular cake with the only the features the user actually needs.

      It has a little decoration, but not enough to take away from the core product.

      31 points
      • wojtek w.wojtek w., over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

        Adding to that:

        A cupcake has the same feel as the original creation. Because it is compact in size, it's easier for the user to digest and leaves them wanting more of your product.

        0 points
    • Oliver Browne, over 8 years ago

      A cupcake is like a well placed CTA. Draws you in with a flourish and as soon as you bite, you're into the deeper, drier content.

      1 point
    • Rick KhannaRick Khanna, over 8 years ago

      Cupcakes are a UX disaster. You can't even bite it properly. You get icing all over your damn lips. Icing gets on your hands when you're trying to take off the cup wrapper. It's also so top heavy. It topples and crumbles over as you eat it.

      4 points
      • Ryan MurphyRyan Murphy, over 8 years ago

        That icing is 'marketing', that situation you just explained is viral. People see icing on your lips and want a cupcake.

        A neatly consumed cupcake is an unshared, unknown cupcake.

        How's a cupcake studio to grow with only a few customers they acquired via a facebook campaign?

        3 points
  • Dave HawkinsDave Hawkins, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    Roses are red Violets are blue Heres your design Pay me now

    4 points
  • Mitch Malone, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    I assume you're talking about this article:

    https://blog.intercom.io/start-with-a-cupcake/

    It's not about design per se (the title also isn't a metaphor). It's more about how to think about product development. A cupcake has less risk than making a wedding cake for example. It's easier and faster to make. When the recipe is right, you can scale up.

    The nugget from this article that's really important is about Gall's Law:

    A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.

    4 points
  • Sacha GreifSacha Greif, over 8 years ago

    I hear Eli Schiff is working on a 5-part series on how thinking good design is a cupcake is causing the downfall of our industry.

    3 points
    • wojtek w.wojtek w., over 8 years ago

      May include comparing Dribbble to cupcakes and ranting about people changing default system icons.

      0 points
  • Abhishek SureshAbhishek Suresh, over 8 years ago

    Good cupcake is a cupcake.

    3 points
  • Ian GoodeIan Goode, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    Why do people whine about headlines? Their sole purpose is to get your attention, and voila, in some form it worked. If I hadn't already read the article in question I'd go and look it up and probably read it, and voila, the headline worked.

    3 points
    • Jeremy StewartJeremy Stewart, over 8 years ago

      That is their sole purpose, but there's a different between a) drawing attention and b) sensationalizing/whoring/cheapening. That's probably why he's whining. I myself don't take it issue with it, but I also don't really pay attention to stupid titles like 'Good design is a cupcake'. I've started to filter out clickbait.

      0 points
    • Wade MullerWade Muller, over 8 years ago

      I hate it because its almost BuzzFeed territory. ie: "Gorilla learns to drive, you won't believe what happens next".

      2 points
  • Roma KuraevRoma Kuraev, over 8 years ago

    Fruit flies like a banana.

    2 points
  • Ilya SitnikovIlya Sitnikov, over 8 years ago

    I'm looking at you, Linkedin.

    2 points
  • Josh Aronoff, over 8 years ago

    Life is like a box of chocolates.

    1 point
  • Martin LeBlancMartin LeBlanc, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    Guilty: https://dribbble.com/shots/1749161-A-user-interface-is-like-a-joke-Poster

    1 point
  • Selen UsSelen Us, over 8 years ago

    Design is not a cupcake unless it's good.

    0 points
  • Josh LeeJosh Lee, over 8 years ago

    I'm the PM for cupcakes. Clearly you were not our target market and we apologize. Perhaps you would like a twinkie or ho-ho better.

    0 points
  • Spencer HoltawaySpencer Holtaway, over 8 years ago

    Good cupcake is a design. Discuss.

    0 points