What Tim Harford thinks about design

@tim-harford · 10 positions · On ppll ↗

Economist and journalist; Financial Times columnist as The Undercover Economist, author of How to Make the World Add Up, and presenter of the Cautionary Tales podcast.

Tim Harford did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

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Only Tim Harford on design. See everyone on design

2 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Tim Harford has said — not written or endorsed by them.

2 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

1. 3 Sept 2026

   Our readingGamification is a brittle imitation of a real game, not an equivalent to it.

   Their wordsThe irony is that gamification is a brittle imitation of an actual game.

   ↗The Big Power of Small Annoyancestimharford.com 2nd of 3 in this piece

3. 3 Sept 2026

   Our readingTurning a game into a means to a broader purpose risks destroying the fun that makes it a game.

   Their wordsAfter all, if a game takes on a broader purpose then it risks no longer being fun. And a game that is no fun isn't much of a game.

   ↗The Big Power of Small Annoyancestimharford.com 3rd of 3 in this piece