Young, dynamic, successful and fun – this is what a lot of people think of when you say “Google”, and its reputation has made it one of the most sought-after companies for jobhunters. Some go there almost expecting to find the Holy Grail, but more than a few come away disappointed. Douglas Bowman’s case is particularly interesting, as it gives us an idea of Google’s culture and philosophy from a design perspective. In his blog, Bowman details his experiences in the company and explains why he resigned.

“When I joined Google as its first visual designer, the company was already seven years old. Seven years is a long time to run a company without a classically trained designer. Google had plenty of designers on staff then, but most of them had backgrounds in CS or HCI. And none of them were in high-up, respected leadership positions. Without a person at (or near) the helm who thoroughly understands the principles and elements of Design, a company eventually runs out of reasons for design decisions. With every new design decision, critics cry foul. Without conviction, doubt creeps in. Instincts fail. “Is this the right move?” When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just look at the data. Data in your favor? Ok, launch it. Data shows negative effects? Back to the drawing board. And that data eventually becomes a crutch for every decision, paralyzing the company and preventing it from making any daring design decisions.

Yes, it’s true that a team at Google couldn’t decide between two blues, so they’re testing 41 shades between each blue to see which one performs better. I had a recent debate over whether a border should be 3, 4 or 5 pixels wide, and was asked to prove my case. I can’t operate in an environment like that. I’ve grown tired of debating such minuscule design decisions. There are more exciting design problems in this world to tackle.

I can’t fault Google for this reliance on data. And I can’t exactly point to financial failure or a shrinking number of users to prove it has done anything wrong. Billions of shareholder dollars are at stake. The company has millions of users around the world to please. That’s no easy task. Google has momentum, and its leadership found a path that works very well. When I joined, I thought there was potential to help the company change course in its design direction. But I learned that Google had set its course long before I arrived. Google was a massive aircraft carrier, and I was just a small dinghy trying to push it a few degrees North.”

This just illustrates the point that there’s more to finding a job than good compensation, the nature of work, or whether you get along well with your collegues. Your philosophy and the company’s must be in tune, or you will end up feeling unfulfilled in your profession. The problem is that it usually won’t be evident until you’ve been inside for a while. In this case, Bowman wanted to lead users into new bold design directions. On the other hand, Google prefers that users take the lead, through continuous testing and data analysis to find what clicks. It’s been working fine for them, so I understand why they’d want to hold on to their processes.

Of course, it’s not a bullet-proof strategy. Humans (i.e., the analysts) are still needed to interpret the data, who inevitably introduce their own biases, for good or ill. Placing a premium on data only minimizes subjectivity, it doesn’t eliminate it. That said, everything that’s measurable can be improved, making this approach enticing. I honestly think that if there was a way to reliably measure their users’ emotional response, Google would seriously consider it.

In the end, it comes down to inertia. Google has grown so big that it’s become incredibly difficult to even nudge it – there’s too much at stake. Not that it’s impossible, but it’s probably not the best venue for radical creative experimentation. Daring designers best go somewhere else, and this is what Doug Bowman realized. He has now transferred to the current social media darling, Twitter. Here’s hoping that his new post as head designer there will prove to be fulfilling. I’m also curious about what his impact will be on the popular startup.

Google is a champion of web applications, a segment that The App Gap is keen on. What can you say about their minimalist aesthetics? Do you agree with their design methods?