Functional. This is the most crucial part of the whole process. If a car doesn’t drive, a camera doesn’t take picture or you cannot sit on the ‘chair’ you just bought, something must have gone wrong. Either it’s broken or the design is flawed.

Durable. Many people say that, in the past things were made to last. While the mixer you bought in the DDR (East-Germany) still works today, the 3-year-old washing machine already broke down once. However, a well-designed object should be made to last. It’s all about the right choice of materials and the mechanic behind the scene.

Obvious. Looking at a chair, you immediately grasp its functionality. You can sit on it! However, most things today, are not easy to understand. Most electronic devices come with lengthy manuals that promise to help you understand the mess you just bought. While we enjoy a lot of added functionality that was not present previously, the user experience should not suffer.

Design has taken a back seat in today’s world but companies like Apple and Leica still work at very high standards to create products that are functional build to last and quite obvious.

Leica is known for build quality and a simplistic approach – their M9 series of cameras is made to take pictures without all the fancy, not always necessary extras that other camera manufacturers add. While not for everyone, this is a product one can certainly enjoy.

Apple on the other hand is known for their very popular iPhone as well as the extremely well build Aluminum Laptop (Unibody Macbook) line. They are very durable, easy to understand and fulfill their function by any means. The durability of the iPhone is quite debatable though.