Consistency considered harmful
summary
Argues that strict consistency can worsen outcomes, showing concrete cases: Google Workspace icons become indistinguishable, a JiraOps incident timeline matched comment UI then proved too sparse for dense event streams and needed redesign, and Compass cards flattened a performance score then reverted. Recommends using Figma branching to explore variants, keeping complex patterns out of the global design system, and choosing consistency based on user knowledge and goals rather than aesthetic unity alone.
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chapters (13)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:34Consistency, every time?
- 2:06Inconsistency tends to offend
- 6:09Consistency cannot be the sole criterion of good design
- 6:30Google’s Workspace icons
- 9:04Consistency and standards
- 10:20Internal & external consistency
- 13:27Design systems are important, but creating a system is not the goal
- 15:32Displacing the goal of meeting user needs
- 16:01Thought-terminating cliches
- 17:20Seek balance
- 20:04How to think about consistency
- 21:00Closing
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