The Broken Window Theory in Design

Broken Window Theory

Visual Design

Product Design

Design Theory

Design Psychology

Written by:

2 min read

Updated on: March 9, 2024

Toni Hukkanen

Head of Design

Creative Direction, Brand Direction

Toni Hukkanen

Head of Design

Creative Direction, Brand Direction

The Broken Window concept originally shook-up New York City in the 1990s, thanks to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s push against petty misdemeanours. Reports showed a 56% drop in crime, while the national average only fell by 26%. The reasoning was straightforward: when small infractions go unchecked, they create a sense of disorder that emboldens larger offences.

Giuliani’s idea of cleaning graffiti, policing turnstile jumping, and repairing vandalism made the city feel like it was on a path to improvement. Intriguingly, this same principle applies outside of law enforcement. From brand consistency to software development, a small oversight can spiral into bigger issues. That’s the basis of the Broken Window Theory in design. It’s a reminder that small details can shape big outcomes. Keeping it under control can spark lasting improvements.

The Broken Window Theory

The approach was based on the theory of the same name proposed and proven by Stanford psychologist, Phillip Zimbardo. In 1969, Phillip parked two cars, one in the Bronx and the other in Palo Alto, CA, two contrasting neighborhoods.

The Bronx had a notoriously higher crime rate compared to Palo Alto, and it proved true when the car got attacked in the first 10 minutes. The other car, however, survived for a week until Philip broke a window himself. That’s when even the seemingly law-abiding people started pitching into the destruction of the car as well.

As Philip predicted, people’s decisions were affected by what they saw.

Fast forward to Giuliani’s announcement to crack down on crimes, the broken window theory was put to the test in a major setting.

"Obviously murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other." – Former New York Mayor, Rudolph Guiliani

With a focus on reducing smaller crimes like vandalism, and prioritizing cleaning up the subways, the former mayor achieved what seemed an unimaginable feat in a fairly short time. The broken window approach made rounds and gained substantial fame.

Toleration and relaxation for a rule that isn’t enforced as strictly as it should be will eventually lead to more people breaking the rule. Smokers prefer to look for cigarette butts in the area rather than asking someone if it’s okay to smoke.

Or as Philip illustrated, if you see a house or a car with broken windows, you’re much more likely to break another window or break into the house regardless of whether you have criminal intentions.

As it’s clear, the broken window approach doesn’t seem relevant to just sociology and psychology, even though we have these two fields to thank for it.

In the realm of graphic design, or any other project for that matter, we often find ourselves slacking off on smaller tasks such as fixing a typo, optimizing a design, editing a few lines of code, or organizing the files, reports or tasks of a project.

As Philip predicted, people’s decisions were affected by what they saw.

Fast forward to Giuliani’s announcement to crack down on crimes, the broken window theory was put to the test in a major setting.

"Obviously murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other." – Former New York Mayor, Rudolph Guiliani

As it’s clear, the broken window approach doesn’t seem relevant to just sociology and psychology, even though we have these two fields to thank for it.

Adopting the broken window approach

Where we fail to connect the dots, however, is when we gradually lose motivation and interest, leading to more procrastination and ultimately, a very disappointing project even by our own standards.

The only way to prevent this spiral of destruction is to prioritize the little things. The bigger picture can’t look pretty if there are tons of little overlooked mistakes forming a messy clutter.

As design and branding projects evolve to have a bigger scope, it becomes tediously difficult to manage and keep up with all the little tasks that entail the completion of the project.

Whether it’s maintaining brand consistency, having synchronous design elements, optimized and organized structures, or even streamlining content across various channels and pages, you need to identify broken windows to understand where there’s room for improvement.

It’s also wise to be able to admit when you’ve reached your limit and to avoid giving up out of frustration, seek help. And that’s what we’re here at FOR®. We can fix your broken windows and drastically improve upon your current project. Let’s get in touch!

Where we fail to connect the dots, however, is when we gradually lose motivation and interest, leading to more procrastination and ultimately, a very disappointing project even by our own standards.

The only way to prevent this spiral of destruction is to prioritize the little things. The bigger picture can’t look pretty if there are tons of little overlooked mistakes forming a messy clutter.

As design and branding projects evolve to have a bigger scope, it becomes tediously difficult to manage and keep up with all the little tasks that entail the completion of the project.