Rule 3: Good Design Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum

Okay, I know, this totally sounds like the previous Rule.  But it's not.  Rule 2 talks about ubiquity of design.  This rule talks about the need for good design to consider its environment.  In The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman makes the point that car radios should be designed with the fact that the radio should be controllable without needing to look at the controls, obviously because you're driving at 65+ mph and probably shouldn't be fiddling with your radio controls just so you can turn on your Easy Listening.

I have a TV stand.  It's good.  I'll post a picture when I get a chance.  It's by no means the end-all-be-all of TV stands. But what makes it a good TV stand as opposed to using say, a sturdy box or a coffee table?

Well, the features that strikes me the most and most relevant to this conversation is adjustable shelving (ooo!) and an extremely accessible back (aaaaah!).  That's it.  It doesn't need to be complicated design, it just needs to be relevant design.

For what we're talking about, the adjustable shelves accommodate the various consoles and peripherals that I keep for use with the TV.  Simple enough.  But more useful than a box.

The design of my TV stand is that the top roughly looks like a trapezoid sitting on top of a rectangle.   It was originally designed for a CRT TV, which is why it has such a large amount of space.  As it stands now, it fits my flat screen TV on the back, leaving some table space for various knick knacks.  The smaller side faces the wall, which means that the angled sections give easy access to cabling along the back.  I've had far too many TV stands either try to cram all the cabling through a 2 inch hole, or the back of the TV stand is completely blocked off.  And while some TV stands (or a coffee table) do have an open back, their sides don't have an angled access point, making for some contortioning of the hands just to get to the cables, much less manipulate them.

The shape of my TV stand if looked from above.
And if it were a tray instead of a TV stand.
Oh, Google Image Search, how you've failed me.

Obviously, I have an unhealthy obsession with my TV stand.  But the point remains, Good Design Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum.

You want another example?  Okay, here's a good one.  Think about your fridge.  Open the doors.  Which way do they open?  Do the doors block the flow of traffic?  Does the door opening face an adjacent counter?  Why would that matter?  You tell me.

Oh, and I thought I was done for the night, but I just came across this article for a public toilet.  With regards to our discussion, the material used for the piping is in keeping with the city 'aesthetic', the pipes themselves are hard to vandalize, and are durable and cheap, all good qualities for the purpose of a public outdoor toilet.