Complementary 70: Things that are easy vs. hard to design
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Nov 23, 2025 Explore the intriguing world of design as hosts discuss the stark contrast between easy and hard tasks. Typography might seem simple in apps, but the nuances in long-form text reveal a labyrinth of challenges. Forms appear straightforward but can become convoluted in practice. The conversation delves into the misuse of notifications and the complexity of creating effective illustrations. Color palettes, stateful controls, and navigation trade-offs also emerge as surprisingly tricky components, all revealing why hard design problems leave a lasting impression.
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Hard Problems Stick In Memory
- Designers remember hard problems more than easy ones, so “easy” tasks feel scarce even if they’re common.
- Anthony Hobday suggests easy parts of design often breeze by unnoticed because they require little brain power.
Learn Practical Typography Fast
- If you work on application UIs, learn the basics of typography quickly to be passable for most needs.
- Rely on system type choices (like a design system or Inter) to simplify typographic decisions.
Personal Sites Make Typography Harder
- Katie Langerman described struggling for months to set typography on her personal blog because long-form content needs careful decisions.
- Anthony Hobday admitted he also agonized over line and paragraph spacing even when using a single text size.