--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People’s interest is in the product, not…" description: "\"People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship,\" — Jonathan Ive" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png" --- # People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship, ![“People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship,” quote by Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png) > “People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship,” [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The product itself matters more than who created it; design should be invisible. **In simple terms:** Focus on the product, not the creator. Key Takeaway Prioritize user experience over personal credit. Themes design authorship product focus Mood analytical neutral Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - product launches - marketing - user testing Key Concepts industrial design branding Questions to Reflect On - How does anonymity affect creator motivation? - When is it important to highlight authorship? A Different Perspective Ignoring authorial credit can demotivate creators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Well, we don't take money from people and then show the product. It has to be a product that we like anyway, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-allen/well-we-don-t-take-money-from-people-and-then-show-the-product-it-has/) [Ted Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-allen/) > [Businesses increasingly have to differentiate themselves around their people, as much as their product, because thing are so replicable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-easterbrook/businesses-increasingly-have-to-differentiate-themselves-around-their/) [Steve Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-easterbrook/) > [A company's employees are its greatest asset and your people are your product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/a-company-s-employees-are-its-greatest-asset-and-your-people-are-your/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I really believe if you give people a product that couples entertainment with a little bit of education, a soft glove and sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/i-really-believe-if-you-give-people-a-product-that-couples/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [The most common mistakes are showing people your product- don't show them your product, it's sort of like telling them bout a feature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/the-most-common-mistakes-are-showing-people-your-product-don-t-show/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The crucial people to get your product started for the first 6 months are not who will be using it 3 years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/the-crucial-people-to-get-your-product-started-for-the-first-6-months/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [When you are acting, you are just one piece of the puzzle. You don't see how everything fits together. It feels like you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/when-you-are-acting-you-are-just-one-piece-of-the-puzzle-you-don-t/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) > [Authorship has never been with me a matter of choice. I have not done it for amusement, or for money, or for fame, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/authorship-has-never-been-with-me-a-matter-of-choice-i-have-not-done/) [Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/) > [Authorship, according to the spirit in which it is pursued, is an infancy, a pastime, a labor, a handicraft, an art, a science, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/authorship-according-to-the-spirit-in-which-it-is-pursued-is-an/) [August Wilhelm Von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [ Ye who write, choose a subject suited to your abilities. \[Lat., Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/ye-who-write-choose-a-subject-suited-to-your-abilities-lat-sumite/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Every article and review and book that I have ever published has constituted an appeal to the person or persons to whom I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/every-article-and-review-and-book-that-i-have-ever-published-has/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“If there's a will, there's a way! I feel larger than LIFE--and look up to the stars who shine down on me and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-scrima-black/if-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-way-i-feel-larger-than-life-and-look-up/) Donna Scrima-Black > [The writer, like a priest, must be exempted from secular labor. His work needs a frolic health; he must be at the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-writer-like-a-priest-must-be-exempted-from-secular-labor-his-work/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-starts-upon-a-sudden-takes-pen-ink-and-paper-and-without-ever/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [To write well is to think well, to feel well, and to render well; it is to possess at once intellect, soul, and taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/to-write-well-is-to-think-well-to-feel-well-and-to-render-well-it-is/) [Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/) ## More by Jonathan Ive > [My father was a very good craftsman. He made furniture, he made silverware and he had an incredible gift in terms of how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/my-father-was-a-very-good-craftsman-he-made-furniture-he-made/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The more I learnt about this cheeky - almost rebellious - company, the more it appealed to me, as it unapologetically pointed to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-more-i-learnt-about-this-cheeky-almost-rebellious-company-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/to-design-something-really-new-and-innovative-you-have-to-reject/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The most important thing is that you actually care, that you do something to the very best of your ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-most-important-thing-is-that-you-actually-care-that-you-do/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care-just like the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-re-surrounded-by-anonymous-poorly-made-objects-it-s-tempting-to/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why? And I said because I care about the team. And he said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate-and-he-said-why-and-i-said/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That's not simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-absence-of-clutter-is-just-a-clutter-free-product-that-s-not/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [In our quest to quickly make three-dimensional objects, we can miss out on the experience of making something that helps give us our first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/in-our-quest-to-quickly-make-three-dimensional-objects-we-can-miss/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [A beautiful product that doesn't work very well is ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/a-beautiful-product-that-doesn-t-work-very-well-is-ugly/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer. It's unfair to ask people who don't have a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer-it-s-unfair/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I am very aware that I'm the product of growing up in England and the tradition of designing and making, of England industrialising first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-am-very-aware-that-i-m-the-product-of-growing-up-in-england-and-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [It's a very strange thing for a designer to say, but one of the things that really irritates me in products is when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-s-a-very-strange-thing-for-a-designer-to-say-but-one-of-the-things/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [We won't do something different for different's sake. Designers cave in to marketing, to the corporate agenda, which is sort of, 'Oh, it looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-won-t-do-something-different-for-different-s-sake-designers-cave/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [As a kid, I remember taking apart whatever I could get my hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/as-a-kid-i-remember-taking-apart-whatever-i-could-get-my-hands-on/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I find that when I write, I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can't bear it if it's quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-find-that-when-i-write-i-need-things-to-be-quiet-but-when-i-design/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) [Explore all 142 Jonathan Ive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) ## More Authorship quotes > [To write well is to think well, to feel well, and to render well; it is to possess at once intellect, soul, and taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/to-write-well-is-to-think-well-to-feel-well-and-to-render-well-it-is/) [Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/) > [A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-starts-upon-a-sudden-takes-pen-ink-and-paper-and-without-ever/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [The writer, like a priest, must be exempted from secular labor. His work needs a frolic health; he must be at the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-writer-like-a-priest-must-be-exempted-from-secular-labor-his-work/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“If there's a will, there's a way! I feel larger than LIFE--and look up to the stars who shine down on me and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-scrima-black/if-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-way-i-feel-larger-than-life-and-look-up/) Donna Scrima-Black > [“Every article and review and book that I have ever published has constituted an appeal to the person or persons to whom I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/every-article-and-review-and-book-that-i-have-ever-published-has/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ Ye who write, choose a subject suited to your abilities. \[Lat., Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/ye-who-write-choose-a-subject-suited-to-your-abilities-lat-sumite/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Authorship, according to the spirit in which it is pursued, is an infancy, a pastime, a labor, a handicraft, an art, a science, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/authorship-according-to-the-spirit-in-which-it-is-pursued-is-an/) [August Wilhelm Von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [Authorship has never been with me a matter of choice. I have not done it for amusement, or for money, or for fame, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/authorship-has-never-been-with-me-a-matter-of-choice-i-have-not-done/) [Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/) > [So there's a lot of people tied into believing that the traditional response to the authorship question. In terms of actors, some people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rylance/so-there-s-a-lot-of-people-tied-into-believing-that-the-traditional/) [Mark Rylance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rylance/) > [Our favorites are few; since only what rises from the heart reaches it, being caught and carried on the tongues of men wheresoever love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/our-favorites-are-few-since-only-what-rises-from-the-heart-reaches-it/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [Subtract from many modern poets all that may be found in Shakespeare, and trash will remain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/subtract-from-many-modern-poets-all-that-may-be-found-in-shakespeare/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [ All these teachers and \[screenwriting\] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-books-mean-you-see-movies-that/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [That author, however, who has thought more than he has read, read more than he has written, and written more than he has published,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/that-author-however-who-has-thought-more-than-he-has-read-read-more/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [To expect an author to talk as he writes is ridiculous; or even if he did you would find fault with him as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-expect-an-author-to-talk-as-he-writes-is-ridiculous-or-even-if-he/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Try to be someone upon whom nothing is lost!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/try-to-be-someone-upon-whom-nothing-is-lost/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) [Browse all 190 Authorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Ive" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not-in-its-authorship/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authorship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not-in-its-authorship/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/jonathan-ive-3015_authorship_people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not_1460586.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People’s interest is in the product, not in its authorship,” — Jonathan Ive", "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": "Jonathan Ive", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People’s interest is in the product,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not-in-its-authorship/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/people-s-interest-is-in-the-product-not-in-its-authorship/#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 } } ] } ```