There has long been a precedent that users find attractive designs to be more usable.
About a decade ago, a study found that users perceive attractive ATM’s as more usable. Recently, Rob Tannen noted a similar study on the effect aesthetics has on the perceived usability of cell phones.
Now I’ve long since been sold on the benefits of aesthetics in product design, but as I was reading the abstract of the cell phone article I started to wonder: Are attractive products really more usable?
people don’t care about usability
People would never throw their arms up and say “This product is completely unusable!”. (Okay, perhaps a researcher, but they aren’t real people). That’s because “usability” isn’t in our common vocabulary.
Likewise, when researchers have users rate something’s usability, the users aren’t going to apply Fitz law or any other technical principle of usability. No, they are going to rate the overall experience of using the product. And they’ll tell you that they find an attractive device provides a more pleasant experience.
All that proves is that people like beautiful things. Not exactly a breakthrough. Any designer who hasn’t figured this out having a hard time finding work.
But isn’t this just splitting hairs? As long as the user has an enjoyable experience, what harm is it if the device isn’t as usable as it could be?
it hurts attention
I’ve written before that attention is the factor least considered during a product’s design and purchase. So while a user may prefer a product with inferior usability just because it is attractive, they are doing themselves a disservice.
They are selecting a product that will deplete their attention little by little, but will never realize it because they are blinded by the light of aesthetic trickery.
but
Unfortunately, as long as people prefer consume pretty products that aren’t very usable, companies will keep pumping out attractive crap. They have no compelling incentive to do otherwise.
Their only incentive to max out on usability and aesthetics is to engender the type of loyalty that only comes from providing them with products they truly love, even if they aren’t quite sure why.
What do you think? What’s more important: usability, aesthetic appeal, or both?
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Article by chris loughnane
Chris is Design Engineer + Sustainability Advocate at a Boston area design consultancy and has written 127 sweet posts for the Product Development Notebook.
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