--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Designers shouldn't aim to control, but…" description: "\"Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable.\" — Dan Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png" --- # Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable. ![“Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable.” quote by Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png) > “Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable.” [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design should empower users rather than dictate actions, fostering autonomy and creativity. **In simple terms:** Enable, not control. Key Takeaway Design for user empowerment. Themes design empowerment autonomy creativity Mood inspirational thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - product development - education platforms - public services Key Concepts human‑centered design agency Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance guidance with freedom? - When does empowerment become overwhelming? A Different Perspective Over‑enabling may lead to user confusion or lack of guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control Enable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-enable-6031207/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers/) [Designers Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers-shouldn-246126/) [Enable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enable/) ## Related quotes > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I like stuff designed by dead people. The old designers. They always got it right because they didn't have to grow up with computers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/i-like-stuff-designed-by-dead-people-the-old-designers-they-always/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [In New York there are between four and six big designers, and the shows last one week. There is something wrong here. It's our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franca-sozzani/in-new-york-there-are-between-four-and-six-big-designers-and-the/) [Franca Sozzani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franca-sozzani/) > [I'm always interested in collaborating with designers. I love Gaultier. I know that's kind of a high hope!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-love/i-m-always-interested-in-collaborating-with-designers-i-love-gaultier/) [Pamela Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-love/) > [We designers have been working to stimulate people's souls and minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-fukasawa/we-designers-have-been-working-to-stimulate-people-s-souls-and-minds/) [Naoto Fukasawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-fukasawa/) > [Couture has copied my things for years, in addition to countless other costume designers, claiming theirs were the original ideas. It's all part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/couture-has-copied-my-things-for-years-in-addition-to-countless-other/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [You don't need money to look fabulous. There are so many awesome new designers, so many designers doing collections for mass retailers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/you-don-t-need-money-to-look-fabulous-there-are-so-many-awesome-new/) [Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/) > [Designers may be the true intellectuals of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/designers-may-be-the-true-intellectuals-of-the-future/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) > [I'm always telling young designers to take the time to surround themselves with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azzedine-alaia/i-m-always-telling-young-designers-to-take-the-time-to-surround/) [Azzedine Alaia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azzedine-alaia/) > [People always think that designers hate each other. And we're certainly a competitive lot, but we also enjoy each other's company. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/people-always-think-that-designers-hate-each-other-and-we-re/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [Design is too important to be left to designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-loewy/design-is-too-important-to-be-left-to-designers/) [Raymond Loewy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-loewy/) > [I've always worked closely with the designers and whoever's making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-yamaguchi/i-ve-always-worked-closely-with-the-designers-and-whoever-s-making/) [Kristi Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-yamaguchi/) > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) [Daniel Burka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burka/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I want to try and wear as many Australian designers as I can because I'd like to support my Australian colleagues in the industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-fry/i-want-to-try-and-wear-as-many-australian-designers-as-i-can-because/) [Lucy Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-fry/) ## More by Dan Hill > [Let's face it: pop music in its myriad permutations will always be sexually presumptuous, racially controversial and, frequently, politically charged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/let-s-face-it-pop-music-in-its-myriad-permutations-will-always-be/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [In a world where people are hungry for quick fixes and sound bites, for instant gratification, there's no patience for the long, slow rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/in-a-world-where-people-are-hungry-for-quick-fixes-and-sound-bites/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [I did have one bad accident up north near Deerhurst. I was driving back in the winter on these snowy roads, and these two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/i-did-have-one-bad-accident-up-north-near-deerhurst-i-was-driving/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [Some stresses are unavoidable - it's just part of life. One of the things I do to avoid stress is not work with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/some-stresses-are-unavoidable-it-s-just-part-of-life-one-of-the/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [You can tell black artists are front and centre when Usher discovers and launches Justin Bieber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/you-can-tell-black-artists-are-front-and-centre-when-usher-discovers/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [The stuff I write I'm very proud of, but I'm smart enough to know I'll never get on the cover of 'Rolling Stone' next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/the-stuff-i-write-i-m-very-proud-of-but-i-m-smart-enough-to-know-i-ll/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [When you look at the lyrics of 'Sometimes When We Touch,' it's really very much an adolescent song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/when-you-look-at-the-lyrics-of-sometimes-when-we-touch-it-s-really/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [Flipping through the 'Toronto Star' one day in 2008, I noticed a piece about a phenomenal boxer from the Philippines who had won several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/flipping-through-the-toronto-star-one-day-in-2008-i-noticed-a-piece/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [Woody Allen movies notwithstanding, therapy, in the early eighties, was not exactly a hot conversation starter. Nor was it a favoured activity for dysfunctional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/woody-allen-movies-notwithstanding-therapy-in-the-early-eighties-was/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [To be sure, boxing has always been, at best, a shady and sometimes cutthroat business, buttressed by hype and tomfoolery rivalling, at times, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/to-be-sure-boxing-has-always-been-at-best-a-shady-and-sometimes/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [My dad was one of four children. His three siblings were female, and he loved and protected them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/my-dad-was-one-of-four-children-his-three-siblings-were-female-and-he/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [If we don't invest now in so-called priority neighbourhoods with music classes, athletic facilities, and skills training and mentoring, we will all pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/if-we-don-t-invest-now-in-so-called-priority-neighbourhoods-with/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [You succeed and accomplish and accomplish; the problem is when you stop, you become depressed because you could never do enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/you-succeed-and-accomplish-and-accomplish-the-problem-is-when-you/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [I think my father had a certain degree of insecurity and need to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/i-think-my-father-had-a-certain-degree-of-insecurity-and-need-to/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [In Don Mills in the Sixties, nothing comes close to the humiliation of losing an argument. In our weird little creative circle, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/in-don-mills-in-the-sixties-nothing-comes-close-to-the-humiliation-of/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) [Explore all 71 Dan Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-to-enable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-to-enable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/dan-hill-9616_aim_designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-t_3216654.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Designers shouldn't aim to control, but to enable.” — Dan Hill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dan Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Designers shouldn't aim to control, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-to-enable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/designers-shouldn-t-aim-to-control-but-to-enable/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```