The Decision-Driving Tenets Framework
by Bob Baxley • Designer, Executive, Advisor at Formerly Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo, ThoughtSpot
Design leader who played a pivotal role in the Apple Online Store, App Store, Pinterest, and Yahoo Answers. Known for applying 'Silicon Valley' design thinking to enterprise software and advocating for design as a moral obligation.
🎙️ Episode Context
Bob Baxley discusses the evolution of design, arguing that software is a powerful medium akin to film or music that carries a moral obligation to respect user emotion. He challenges standard startup wisdom by advocating for design to report to engineering, delaying high-fidelity prototyping to avoid the 'Primal Mark' bias, and replacing generic design principles with opinionated 'Tenets' that drive hard decision-making.
Problem It Solves
Eliminates circular debates and ambiguity caused by 'Applehood & Motherpie' principles that no one disagrees with but help no one decide.
Framework Overview
A framework for replacing generic, non-controversial 'principles' (like 'simple' or 'fast') with opinionated 'tenets' that force specific trade-offs. This method converts recurring organizational debates into permanent, binary decisions to speed up future execution.
⚡ Step-by-Step Framework
Identify recurring debates where teams get stuck
Make a definitive, opinionated choice (A over B)
Codify the choice as a Tenet to prevent re-litigating
Ensure Tenets are memorable (max 3-4)
Identify recurring debates where teams get stuck
Make a definitive, opinionated choice (A over B)
Codify the choice as a Tenet to prevent re-litigating
Ensure Tenets are memorable (max 3-4)
When to Use
When teams are constantly re-litigating the same trade-offs (e.g., Flexibility vs. Simplicity) or when a product lacks a distinct point of view.
Common Mistakes
Creating 'Principles' that are universally true (e.g., 'Make it easy to use') rather than 'Tenets' which take a side (e.g., 'Documentation is a failure state').
Real World Example
ThoughtSpot's Tenets: 1. Documentation is a failure state. 2. Start simple, user opts-in to complexity. 3. Look and feel like a single mind.
Principles are not useful as decision-making tools because nobody would ever argue the opposite... Tenets are really decision-making tools.
— Bob Baxley