# Beneficially relating elements

> A definition Kent Beck mentioned in his 2009 “Responsive Design” talk[^1]:

A definition <Kent Beck> mentioned in his <2009> "Responsive Design" talk[^1]:

> [Design](https://wiki.g15e.com/en/pages/Design.txt) is beneficially relating elements.

There is also a more accessible article[^2] expanding on it.

He explains that this definition has two meanings.

- The result of design: (Good) design consists of elements related in mutually beneficial ways.
- The act of designing: Designing is the act of relating elements in mutually beneficial ways.

Designing means 1) adding or removing elements and 2) adding or removing relationships so that the elements are beneficially related.

I think this applies to [design](https://wiki.g15e.com/en/pages/Design.txt) in the broader sense, as well as to design in <software engineering>.

## Footnotes

[^1]: https://www.infoq.com/presentations/responsive-design/ Around 17 minutes 25 seconds.
[^2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20110806102048/http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/blog/?p=111