Attractive things work better. That is what Don Norman says in his book Emotional Design. This is an idea that I believe and try to incorporate into my work. In school, I was mostly taught to focus on improving efficiency. However, early in my career, I began to encounter the idea of beauty in design.
At conferences like CHI and Software Development, people were talking about Elegant or Seductive user interfaces. While most computer products looked busy, confusing, or unpleasant, a few began to differentiate themselves based on visual appeal.
Following some key design principals, we can achieve harmony in the design, creating a pleasant look that also supports people in their activities.
Jakob Nielsen forecast in 1994 ‘As software gets closer to achieving commodity status users can be expected to make very rapid choices between the huge number of offerings available … they will immediately discard anything that looks boring, obsolete, or too confusing.’ We can see that playing out today in the apps people choose for their mobile devices. How can you distinguish among the many inexpensive choices available? People quickly determine whether a web site or an app meets their needs. Competition is fierce.
Patricia Kelton and Ellen Story had this to say “Visual design has the power to create an engaging experience. The conventional wisdom that task oriented applications should incorporate graphics only to enhance usability, and not to enhance the aesthetic experience, has been challenged … Done well, visual design can enhance both of these.” The products we created together were unlike anything I had seen before; differentiating themselves from their competitors by an engaging visual design relevant to the people using them. As Patricia might say, we need to provide not just function but also make their day a little better.
Beauty is often considered a subjective quality. But, there are ways to measure it. Tim Wood at the recent Interaction 11 conference talked about the difference between usability and visual design; the difference between ‘I don’t know how to use something’ and ‘I don’t want to use something’. We need to benchmark not just how efficient a product is but also how desirable the product is.
If you are new to the idea of beautiful products, you might be wondering how to get started. You can begin by selecting just a few things that you like or enjoy working with. It could be a tool or a kitchen gadget. Try out something from OXO as a start.
If you haven’t been to an art museum you might not think it is your thing. Try it. You might be amazed to find that there is something that you enjoy there.
If you are looking for something a bit more practical, you might want to start with a book. Designing Visual Interfaces by Kevin Mullet remains the best book on visual design techniques for user interface design. It is a great book but I wish that someone would come out with an updated version that includes examples from the last few years of products, web sites, and mobile apps.
Don Norman’s book Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things is also an interesting read. While it won’t tell you how to design your product, it will likely make you think about design in your product.
What do you think about beauty in design? Is there a tip or resource you would recommend? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
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