A long time ago, in college, I studied philosophy. And I absolutely loved every single second of it. Yet the reality is that philosophy does not a career make. At least, not for most people. So life took me down a different path. All the while though, I have been looking for connections between my love for (often ancient) philosophical wisdom, and the practicality of my day-to-day job. Which isn't as far-fetched as you might assume.
In product design it's easy to get caught up in the latest trends, tools, and technologies. Some of the most useful ideas I've found are over two thousand years old, though. It might sound unlikely, but the philosophy of Plato, an ancient Greek thinker, has a lot to say about how we design today.
An ideal world
For those who may not be familiar, Plato was a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece around 400 BCE. He is one of the most influential figures in Western philosophy, and his ideas have shaped thinking about everything from politics to science to art. Central to his philosophy is the concept of "Forms" or "Ideas." These are a different thing from the ideas we have when brainstorming.
Imagine every object you encounter: a chair, a smartphone, a coffee cup. These are all specific instances of a general category of objects. They are "copies" or "shadows" of a perfect, ideal version that exists in a non-physical space. This ideal version is what Plato called a "Form." According to him, all the chairs in the world, no matter how different they are, share something essential that makes them "chairs." The Form of a chair is this essence, the perfect, unchanging blueprint that all real-world chairs try to emulate but never quite achieve.
Plato believed that our physical world is a reflection of a higher, more perfect reality, and that true knowledge comes from understanding these perfect Forms rather than just their imperfect manifestations in the real world. In a similar way, designers can treat their work as an attempt to get closer to some ideal version of their product, on top of responding to immediate user needs or aesthetic trends.
Interesting. So, how does this ancient philosophy apply to product design today?
Here are a few practical ways Platonism can shape how you make products.
The pursuit of perfection
Plato’s philosophy encourages us to strive for an ideal form, a perfect version of whatever we are designing. In product design, this could mean aiming for a product that balances function and looks so well that it holds up for years and appeals to almost everyone.
Consider Apple products, for instance. Apple’s design philosophy is often described as a pursuit of perfection, a Platonic ideal of technology. The iPhone and MacBook aim to feel simple, elegant, and intuitive more than they chase trends. Apple’s focus on minimalism and usability is a lot like Plato’s striving toward a perfect form: a product that stays relevant and desirable long after launch.
Or, in furniture design, we have the famous Eames Chair, seen above. It's celebrated for its balance of form and function: high-quality materials and ergonomic design in a piece of furniture that is both beautiful and comfortable. It reads like an attempt at the ideal chair.
When designing a product, ask yourself: What would the perfect version of this look like? Beyond the current needs and preferences of users, what would make this product excellent? The answer might lead you to different choices, ones that put longevity and clarity ahead of flash and trends.
Where form meets function
Plato’s theory of Forms emphasizes that the ideal version of an object combines perfect form and perfect function. Product design needs the same balance between usability and aesthetics. A beautiful product that’s hard to use is just as flawed as an ugly product that works well.
So design for both at once. Consider the principles of Material Design, which integrates tactile elements and visual cues that mimic real-world behaviors to create intuitive user experiences. Or Shopify's recent revamp of its design system, Polaris, which moved toward a simpler, tactile, real-world inspired direction. In both, the visual choices also do a functional job.
Similarly, we could think of Google’s homepage. It’s famously minimalist, a single search bar on a blank white page. This design hasn’t changed much in the decades since Google's first entry onto the world wide web, because it shows exactly what the product is: a search engine. Nothing distracts from that, which makes it a kind of Platonic ideal of a search interface.
Meaningful experiences
Plato believed that true fulfillment comes from engaging with higher ideals. For product designers, that means asking what a product does for someone beyond the task at hand. What higher purpose does your design serve? How does it make the user’s life better?
Think beyond the immediate use case of your product. Consider how it fits into the larger context of your user’s life. Does it make their day easier? Does it connect them with others? Does it help them achieve a goal or learn something new? A product that serves the user's higher needs, like community, growth, or well-being, will matter more to them. It's a fundamental reason why social networks, regardless of their particular niche, are such an incredibly sticky product.
A great example of this is meditation apps like Headspace or Calm. They're easy to use and nice to look at, but they're built to help people find some calm and clarity in their day. That fits Plato’s idea that real value comes from higher purposes.
Borrowing a few of Plato's principles can lift a designer's work above current trends and technical limits. Instead of only responding to what users want today, you aim for a standard of excellence that lasts, and the products tend to last longer and mean more to the people using them.
So, next time you sit down to design a new product, ask yourself: What would Plato do? What's the ideal version of this thing, and how do form and function meet in it? You might find that the path from Plato to pixels changes how you think about design.
Further reading
- The Republic, by Plato, is available for free on Project Gutenberg.
- The Art of Disappearing Tech
- Cultivating Virtue in Design
