When the first car came out, consumers didn't care about its color or silhouette, because the competition was a horse. Now that cars have been commoditized, quality and details matter more than ever, and the same applies to software. Simply shipping a product that works is no longer enough. Everyone can do that, especially now with AI. Working is simply what people expect. What makes a product stand out is its brand, design, intuitiveness and overall experience. Taste is what matters.
As Anu Atluru put it in Taste is Eating Silicon Valley: "In a world of scarcity, we treasure tools. In a world of abundance, we treasure taste." Good taste is often mistaken for personal preference, but it is more than that. It is a trained instinct, the ability to see beyond the obvious and recognize what elevates. That is why some designs feel effortless.
Training that instinct starts with exposure to great work. Designers should study great designs and writers should read great books. Find people who are respected in their fields, look at whom they admire, and build a curated list of tastemakers. Learning from the best is the most effective way to learn.
While calibrating taste, avoid labeling things simply as good or bad. Rationalize why something feels great, and study patterns rather than relying purely on intuition. Practice matters too: create things, seek feedback from the right people, and keep going. Early work will not be good, but noticing that it falls short is a sign your taste is developing. Don't quit, because it gets better over time.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing