Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated

Hierarchy of Needs

In order for a design to be successful, it must meet people’s basic needs before it can attempt to satisfy higher-level needs.1

The hierarchy of needs principle specifies that a design must serve the low-level needs (e.g., it must function), before the higher-level needs, such as creativity, can begin to be addressed. Good designs follow the hierarchy of needs principle, whereas poor designs may attempt to meet needs from the various levels without building on the lower levels of the hierarchy first. The five key levels of needs in the hierarchy are described below.2

Functionality needs have to do with meeting the most basic design requirements. For example, a video recorder must, at minimum, provide the capability to record, ...