It’s not easy to find a universal definition of what good design is. It’s a complex matter that involves creativity, anticipating and understanding the end-user’s needs, and so much more. Yet, oftentimes, people recognize a good design when they see one intuitively.

That is because such design is typically expected to tick two main boxes—functionality and aesthetics. An item has to serve a purpose, however, it has to be visually appealing as well, which is why it’s important to find that middle ground. When the designer reaches this goal, it automatically positively reflects in the user’s experience.

A set of requirements for what a good design should be was presented by Dieter Rams, a renowned German designer who spent decades working with the consumer products company Braun and the furniture company Vitsœ.

Back in the late 1970s, he asked himself the question “is my design good design?” and came up with 10 principles for good design that are equally relevant to this day. The first thing he emphasized was that it has to be innovative. The constant technological advancements provide an abundance of opportunities for innovation, which is why it’s important to try and keep up.

Second on the list was usefulness, which is what you get after combining functionality with certain psychological functions and aesthetics. Rams suggested that good design accentuates the usefulness of a product by relinquishing anything that does not serve its purpose.

He continued to emphasize the importance of aesthetics itself, as well as noting that good design makes a product understandable. In addition to that, it has to be unobtrusive, as functional products are not decorative objects, nor works of art, which is why they should be quite neutral.

The rest of the ten principles pointed out that good design should be honest and long-lasting. It should also be thorough down to the last detail and environmentally-friendly. Last but not least, according to Dieter Rams, good design is as little design as possible, which relies on his approach of “less, but better”.

Any design depends largely on the end user. It’s important to take into account their needs, in addition to weighing numerous other factors, such as their environment, for instance. Architectural psychologist, Prof. Dak Kopec told Bored Panda that an in-depth interview process and surrounding community analysis is the best way to anticipate design decisions that can benefit certain groups of people the most.

“A good designer will be able to assess a group of end-users’ needs through asking strategic questions, observing the intended end-users in similar environments, and studying the regional cultural nuances along with values, traditions, and norms,” he said.

Dr. Kopec pointed out that these factors are all regional—within a given city, county, or township—which is why, according to him, a good designer will not assume that a cluster of people will be the same in London, New York, Honolulu, Sydney, and elsewhere.

“Good design helps relieve stress and promote ideal behaviors or outcomes when it properly reflects the community it serves. Colors, patterns, geometry, art, etc. are all symbols that reflect a community’s values, preferences, and desires. An environment that does not reflect the population will cause people to feel as though they do not belong, which can result in fear, anger or frustration,” architectural psychologist and professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dak Kopec told Bored Panda.

Designing for children is no exception—as with any other group, it requires thorough research that helps to understand their needs better and provide solutions accordingly. In addition to being functional and aesthetically pleasing, good design can also positively influence children’s development.

“Good design can influence and enhance a child's development,” Prof. Kopec said. “Loris Malaguzzi is the originator of the thought that all children have three teachers: their peers, adults, and the environment or classroom. Malaguzzi further believed that all children have curiosity, potential, and preparedness, which is echoed within Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s preference module that states an environment should have four elements: coherence, legibility, complexity, mystery.

“Hence, each environment should allow for curiosity, potential, and preparedness through the inclusion of elements that allow for coherence, legibility, complexity, and mystery,” he explained.

The professor pointed out that some groups of people are more prone to be influenced by certain design decisions; children, seniors, or people with mental disabilities, for instance. “These are important populations because they tend to be the most influenced by environment design because of the embedded symbols that carry meaning,” he said.

“This is because vision is our (human) primary sensory detection, as such, what we see is what we respond to at a basic instinctual level. Educated adults often screen out or rationalize visual cues at a subconscious level or have a larger frame of reference from which to process visual information.”

These pictures show some of the best decisions when it comes to designing for kids or their parents; however, not all people deal with such a task equally well. If you’d like to see some examples of less well-thought-through designs for children, browse this list of hilariously inappropriate playground design fails that are hard to believe were approved.