--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How good the design is doesn't matter…" description: "\"How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as whether the design is getting better or worse. If it is getting better, day by day, I can live wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/kent-beck-12533_better-days_how-good-the-design-is-doesn-t-matter-ne_2787474.jpg" --- # How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as… ![“How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as whether the design is getting better or worse. If it is getting better, day by day, I can live with it forever. If it is getting worse, I will die.” quote by Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/kent-beck-12533_better-days_how-good-the-design-is-doesn-t-matter-ne_2787474.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/kent-beck-12533_better-days_how-good-the-design-is-doesn-t-matter-ne_2787474.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/kent-beck-12533_better-days_how-good-the-design-is-doesn-t-matter-ne_2787474.jpg) > “How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as whether the design is getting better or worse. If it is getting better, day by day, I can live with it forever. If it is getting worse, I will die.” [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design quality matters less than its trajectory; continuous improvement sustains satisfaction, decline leads to failure. **In simple terms:** Improvement matters more than current quality. Key Takeaway Seek steady design improvement. Themes quality continuous improvement longevity Mood analytical pragmatic Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - software projects - product design - process optimization - personal habits Key Concepts software engineering design thinking maintenance Questions to Reflect On - How do you track design progress? - What signs indicate design decay? A Different Perspective Improvement may be hard to measure objectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day by day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-by-day/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Getting better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-better/) [Good design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-design/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) ## Related quotes > [“Good design doesn’t stem from intuition, talent, or luck (although I’ll take a smidgen of each). It comes from research and understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-design-doesn-t-stem-from-intuition-talent-or-luck-although-i-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good design doesn't date. Bad design does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/good-design-doesn-t-date-bad-design-does/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [Good design doesn't cost, but it pays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-driehaus/good-design-doesn-t-cost-but-it-pays/) Richard Driehaus > [Good design doesn't date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-seidler/good-design-doesn-t-date/) [Harry Seidler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-seidler/) > [“Great design = getting people to do what you want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/great-design-getting-people-to-do-what-you-want/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“No one," he says, "leaves this world in a different manner from one who has just been born." That is not true; for we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/no-one-he-says-leaves-this-world-in-a-different-manner-from-one-who/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [It gets better and then it gets worse and then it may get better and then definitely worse and then we die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/it-gets-better-and-then-it-gets-worse-and-then-it-may-get-better-and/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“There are people who will always doubt you and you have to live with it. It only gets a lot worse when you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-ranjan/there-are-people-who-will-always-doubt-you-and-you-have-to-live-with/) Rakesh Ranjan > [“Fear, is a horrible place to live in, and much worse die in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/fear-is-a-horrible-place-to-live-in-and-much-worse-die-in/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“Don't you understand that girls die the day they begin puberty ? Worse than that, they die without disappearing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/don-t-you-understand-that-girls-die-the-day-they-begin-puberty-worse/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“the problem with happy endings," I said, "is that they're not really happy, or not really endings, you know? In real life, some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-problem-with-happy-endings-i-said-is-that-they-re-not-really/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Design is the term we use to describe both the process and the result of giving tangible form to human ideas. Design doesn't just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lawrence/design-is-the-term-we-use-to-describe-both-the-process-and-the-result/) Peter Lawrence > [Just just because there are flaws in aircraft design that doesn't mean flying carpets exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/just-just-because-there-are-flaws-in-aircraft-design-that-doesn-t/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [Design doesn't have to be daunting. Some people really find it challenging to take on their entire home, because they don't know their aesthetic;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-berk/design-doesn-t-have-to-be-daunting-some-people-really-find-it/) [Bobby Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-berk/) > [I don’t think that anyone has really told (people) what design is. It doesn’t occur to most people that everything is designed--that every building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moggridge/i-don-t-think-that-anyone-has-really-told-people-what-design-is-it/) [Bill Moggridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moggridge/) ## More by Kent Beck > [If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-you-re-having-trouble-succeeding-fail/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“If I have the same logic in two places, I work with the design to understand how I can have only one copy. Designs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-i-have-the-same-logic-in-two-places-i-work-with-the-design-to/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [Responsible Development shares many practices with XP but the roots are different. Responsible Development's values are honesty, transparency, accountability and responsibility. These lead me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/responsible-development-shares-many-practices-with-xp-but-the-roots/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“However, most defects end up costing more than it would have cost to prevent them. Defects are expensive when they occur, both the direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/however-most-defects-end-up-costing-more-than-it-would-have-cost-to/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Trust energizes participants. We feel good when things work smoothly. We need to be safe to experiment and make mistakes. We need testing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/trust-energizes-participants-we-feel-good-when-things-work-smoothly/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“If there are forms of testing, like stress and load testing, that find defects after development is "complete," bring them into the development cycle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-there-are-forms-of-testing-like-stress-and-load-testing-that-find/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“If you have a month to plan a project in detail, spend it on four one-week iterations developing while you improve your estimates. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-you-have-a-month-to-plan-a-project-in-detail-spend-it-on-four-one/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming; feedback is the treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/optimism-is-an-occupational-hazard-of-programming-feedback-is-the/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Some of the teams who read and applied the first edition of this book didn't get the part of the message about the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/some-of-the-teams-who-read-and-applied-the-first-edition-of-this-book/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Beta testing is a symptom of weak testing practices and poor communication with customers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/beta-testing-is-a-symptom-of-weak-testing-practices-and-poor/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Responsibility cannot be assigned; it can only be accepted. If someone tries to give you responsibility, only you can decide if you are responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/responsibility-cannot-be-assigned-it-can-only-be-accepted-if-someone/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [Whether you draw diagrams that generate code or you type at a browser, you are coding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/whether-you-draw-diagrams-that-generate-code-or-you-type-at-a-browser/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“Folk wisdom in software development teaches that interfaces shouldn't be unduly influenced by implementations. Writing a test first is a concrete way to achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/folk-wisdom-in-software-development-teaches-that-interfaces-shouldn-t/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [“To achieve this his team had a sophisticated stress testing environment. When they wanted to improve the architecture they would first improve the stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/to-achieve-this-his-team-had-a-sophisticated-stress-testing/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [Of the four project development variables - scope, cost, time and quality - quality isn't really a free variable. The only possible values are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/of-the-four-project-development-variables-scope-cost-time-and-quality/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) [Explore all 54 Kent Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) ## More Better days quotes > [If a person measures his spiritual fulfillment in terms of cosmic visions, surpassing peace of mind, or ecstasy, then he is not likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/if-a-person-measures-his-spiritual-fulfillment-in-terms-of-cosmic/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [We have seen better days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-have-seen-better-days/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The room was so neat and tidy it made me feel quite depressed...I do not allow myself to repine about what cannot be helped;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peters/the-room-was-so-neat-and-tidy-it-made-me-feel-quite-depressed-i-do/) [Elizabeth Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peters/) > [“In every rainstorm it’s your scream that I hear after every lightning strike. Reminding me of better days and the days of tomorrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-v-songer/in-every-rainstorm-it-s-your-scream-that-i-hear-after-every-lightning/) [Austin V. Songer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-v-songer/) > [“A little reminder I needed today as I dive deeper into this incredible publishing journey. Surround yourself with those who lift you higher, believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-rosa/a-little-reminder-i-needed-today-as-i-dive-deeper-into-this/) Paula Rosa > [Better days are coming they are called Saturday & Sunday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/better-days-are-coming-they-are-called-saturday-sunday/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I tell myself that tomorrow holds better days but it just never really happens anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-tell-myself-that-tomorrow-holds-better-days-but-it-just-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is Gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/hope-hope-in-the-face-of-difficulty-hope-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/) [BARACK OBAMA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The future is no place to place your better days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-future-is-no-place-to-place-your-better-days/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As she looks through the photos, she says quietly, “We had a lot of happy times together. I hope you remember some of them.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-porpora/as-she-looks-through-the-photos-she-says-quietly-we-had-a-lot-of/) [Kenny Porpora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-porpora/) > [No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble. Not knowing its hard to carry on when no one loves you. picture me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknowns/no-one-knows-my-struggle-they-only-see-the-trouble-not-knowing-its/) Unknowns > [“I was barely breathing now, my head felt light. I stumbled to the nearest bench and I clasped my hands together, my fingers gripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-thiel/i-was-barely-breathing-now-my-head-felt-light-i-stumbled-to-the/) [Tamara Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-thiel/) > [One fact of life is, you are a miracle. The fact that you have the breath to continue to go after your dreams, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-fact-of-life-is-you-are-a-miracle-the-fact-that-you-have-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My restlessness makes me a far better day-to-day traveler than he will ever be. I am infinitely curious and almost infinitely patient with mishaps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/my-restlessness-makes-me-a-far-better-day-to-day-traveler-than-he/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Man ever talks, and Man ever dreams Of better days that are yet to be, After glittering goal, that distant gleams, Running and racing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/man-ever-talks-and-man-ever-dreams-of-better-days-that-are-yet-to-be/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) Browse all 204 Better days quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as whether the design is getting better or worse. If it is getting better, day by day, I can live with it forever. 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