I believe consistency and orthogonality are tools of design, not the primary goal in design.

In this quote, Yukihiro Matsumoto, the creator of the Ruby programming language, emphasizes that while consistency and orthogonality are important aspects of design, they should not be the ultimate goals. Matsumoto suggests that these principles—consistency, which ensures that different parts of a system work in a unified way, and orthogonality, where components are independent and do not interfere with one another—are merely tools to achieve better design, not ends in themselves. The primary focus of design, according to Matsumoto, should be on creating something elegant, user-friendly, and functional rather than strictly adhering to rigid principles.

Matsumoto’s philosophy challenges the conventional belief that design should always prioritize structural purity or perfect alignment. While these tools help guide the design process, he argues that flexibility and creativity should ultimately shape the outcome. For Matsumoto, good design in programming, as in other fields, involves finding a balance between functionality, simplicity, and the needs of the users. It’s about designing with purpose rather than adhering strictly to theoretical principles.

The origin of this quote lies in Matsumoto's approach to the development of Ruby, a programming language he created in the mid-1990s. Ruby was designed to emphasize developer happiness and productivity, often prioritizing ease of use over rigid technical structures. Matsumoto's philosophy is reflected in Ruby’s design, which focuses on expressiveness and convention over configuration, encouraging developers to write clean and intuitive code without being overly constrained by the need for perfect consistency or orthogonality.

Ultimately, Matsumoto’s statement serves as a reminder that design—especially in fields like programming—should not be about adhering to dogmatic rules but rather about creating something that is efficient, usable, and innovative. By recognizing that tools like consistency and orthogonality are means to an end, he advocates for a more flexible, creative approach to design, one that emphasizes the human element at its core.