Apple CEO John Ternus Explains What Makes Good Product Design

Apple CEO John Ternus said the company judges design decisions by whether they make products better for users, rather than simply attracting attention.

He said teams reject ideas that seem frivolous or distracting. At the same time, design can include details with no practical function if they make an interaction more enjoyable.

Playful details in the iPhone Duo

Ternus pointed to the animation that appears when the iPhone Duo’s inner display is opened. He acknowledged that it serves no functional purpose, but said it can make using the device more satisfying.

Another feature, Kids Cue, shows Peanuts characters including Snoopy on the iPhone Duo’s outer screen to draw a child’s attention toward the camera during a photo. Ternus said developing a different kind of iPhone gave Apple’s teams an opportunity to explore ideas enabled by the new hardware.

Design and artificial intelligence

Ternus also said artificial intelligence should improve existing products and help create new ones, while users should not need to know that AI powers a particular feature. He identified personalized experiences supported by information on a user’s phone as a specific focus.

The CEO added that he works closely with Apple’s industrial designers. He described the relationship between designers and engineers as a defining strength of the company: designers understand engineering, while engineers have a deep appreciation for design.

Design priority after becoming CEO

Ternus’s comments followed a report earlier this month that he had made product design a major priority since becoming CEO in September and visited Apple’s design studio several times a week.

In the interview, Ternus said products and their opportunities would evolve as new technologies arrived, but he did not want Apple’s way of working to change. TIME published the interview last week and released a video version with additional discussion about design on Tuesday.