--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't do focus groups - that is the…" description: "\"We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer.\" — Jonathan Ive" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png" --- # We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer. ![“We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer.” quote by Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png) > “We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer.” [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. Designers focus on creation, not research; user insights come from other roles. **In simple terms:** Designers should not conduct focus groups. Key Takeaway Let designers design, let researchers research. Themes design research roles Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - product development - market research - team structure Key Concepts user experience collaboration Questions to Reflect On - Should designers ever engage directly with users? - How can teams share insights effectively? A Different Perspective Excluding designers from user research may limit empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Product design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/product-design/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-really-hard-to-design-products-by-focus-groups-a-lot-of-times/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [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/) > [The job of the designer is to make things understandable, usable, accessible, enjoyable... important to a public, that involves the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/the-job-of-the-designer-is-to-make-things-understandable-usable/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [My job as a designer is to look into the future. Not to use any frame of reference that exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-newson/my-job-as-a-designer-is-to-look-into-the-future-not-to-use-any-frame/) [Marc Newson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-newson/) > [Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/simplicity-is-somehow-essentially-describing-the-purpose-and-place-of/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [Very often design is the most immediate way of defining what products become in people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/very-often-design-is-the-most-immediate-way-of-defining-what-products/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [The accumulated knowledge of materials, computing, electromagnetism, product design, and all the rest that we've learned over the last several centuries converts a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/the-accumulated-knowledge-of-materials-computing-electromagnetism/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [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/) > [But one of the things that really irritates me in products is when I'm aware of designers wagging their tails in my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/but-one-of-the-things-that-really-irritates-me-in-products-is-when-i/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [Define what the product will do before you design how the product will do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cooper/define-what-the-product-will-do-before-you-design-how-the-product/) [Alan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cooper/) > [When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/when-i-m-working-on-a-problem-i-never-think-about-beauty-i-think-only/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [The habit of calling a finished product a Design is convenient but wrong. Design is what you do, not what you've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-bruce-archer/the-habit-of-calling-a-finished-product-a-design-is-convenient-but/) L. Bruce Archer > [AI works really well when you couple AI in a raisin bread model. 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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. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) Giambattista Bodoni > [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/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) Fang Chen > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Ive" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/jonathan-ive-3015_design_we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job_1935458.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer.” — 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": "We don't do focus groups -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer/#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 } } ] } ```