On Software Design

Good software design is invisible. You only notice it when it's absent—when the system is hard to change, fragile, or confusing to work with.

Design is About Change

The primary goal of software design is not to make things work today, but to make them easy to change tomorrow. Requirements evolve, new features are added, and understanding improves. A well-designed system accommodates change with minimal friction.

Simplicity Over Cleverness

Clever solutions are tempting. They feel smart and showcase skill. But cleverness often introduces complexity that bites you later. Simple solutions, while less exciting, are easier to understand, test, and modify.

Ask yourself: "If I handed this code to a new teammate tomorrow, would they understand it quickly?" If not, simplify.

Boundaries and Abstractions

Good design creates clear boundaries between concerns. Each module should have a single responsibility and hide its implementation details behind a well-defined interface.

Abstractions are powerful but dangerous. They should eliminate complexity, not just move it around. A bad abstraction leaks details and forces users to understand both the abstraction and what it hides.

Evolution, Not Perfection

You won't get the design right the first time—and that's okay. Design emerges through iteration. Start with the simplest thing that works, then refactor as you learn more.

The key is to make refactoring safe and easy. That means having good tests, clear boundaries, and a team that values continuous improvement.

Conclusion

Software design is a craft, not a science. There are no universal rules, only tradeoffs and context. Focus on creating systems that are easy to change, simple to understand, and a pleasure to work with. The rest will follow.