Less Splash, Higher Score

The following sound bytes were issued from one TV commentator during the 2008 Summer Olympics synchronized diving competition:

• “Just a little off.”
• “Does it look pretty as they do it? Not really. There’s some splash there.”
• “The synchronization is not that far off.”
• “This dive is a bit messy.”

The sport and its judging remind me of the design process. Whether the pursuit is designing a building, a software application, a chair or a stamp, the design process, in a way, is aligned to the elements of synchronized diving: the approach, the flight, and the entry. Designers try to excel at all three, with the quality of splash that truly matters.