“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
In a recent post on LinkedIn, design system consultant Brad Frost referenced Google’s notoriously baffling 2020 changes to the icons for its popular apps, simply noting, “All this time later, I still consider this decision to be a big mistake.” Erica Hall, co-founder of Mule Design commented beneath: “Foolish consistency. I hate it.”
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I agree. The problem is Google’s updated icons are more consistent to a fault: You can no longer distinguish between them quickly at a scan.
I often refer to “the tyranny of consistency” (with tongue somewhat in cheek) in my UX classes. My takeaway there is this:
Consistency is an important but sometimes over-rated tool. It’s key in maintaining a coherent experience. But develop an eye to know when to break from it.
To be sure then, in principle, consistency does help contribute to maintaining…