What Does "Taste" in Design Actually Mean?

The Word Everyone Is Using

Taste. Designers keep bringing it up - in job posts, portfolio reviews, hiring conversations. But most people use the word without fully unpacking it.

Here is a working definition: taste is the ability to recognize what is good, appropriate, and effective - and what isn't. It is judgment, not skill. It is the difference between knowing how to build something and knowing what should be built.

Why It Matters More Now

This conversation is happening because design is changing fast.

Twenty years ago, knowing the software was an edge. Today, anyone can open Figma or Canva. AI can generate UI screens, logos, wireframes, and entire design systems. The technical floor has dropped dramatically.

What AI hasn't figured out is judgment. It can produce options. It cannot tell you which one is right, what to remove, what fits the audience, or what aligns with the brand. That decision is taste - and someone still has to make it.

Taste vs. Decision-Making

These two overlap, but they're not the same thing.

A product manager, an engineer, and a designer all make decisions. The question is whether those decisions consistently lead to outcomes that are effective, elegant, and appropriate. When people talk about "great product taste," they usually mean something more specific - understanding what matters, recognizing quality, knowing when to simplify, anticipating user reactions, and balancing trade-offs elegantly.

Taste is often the explanation for why certain people repeatedly make good decisions in ambiguous situations, where there's no clear right answer and no data to lean on.