Good creative works have a way of convincing me that they are inevitable. Like a really good song, where the tempo is just right, the melody flows effortlessly, and every harmony perfectly in tune. It persuades me to believe that if I sat down to write a song like that, I would end up with that exact song. There’s not a phrase or melody I would change.

I get this feeling whenever I experience anything designed well: software, web sites, a hardware device, prose, a toothbrush.

But good design is deceptive. It’s not inevitable. It’s quite the opposite. It takes a lot of hard work. Every detail must be refined until it reaches the point where a casual observer doesn’t notice it or assumes it is inevitable.