I was particularly intrigued by Norman's discussion on aesthetics. On page 151 he writes... [Frank Lloyd] Wright evidently wasn't very sympathetic about complaints. When Herbert F. Johnson... called Wright to say that his roof was leaking all over a dinner guest, the architect is said to have responded, "Tell him to move his chair." Now I happen to like Frank Lloyd Wright's designs very much. But not enough to sit under a deluge of water for the sake of beauty.
But we do like pretty stuff. When I think of a Mac vs. a PC, the Mac is more attractive, sleeker, newer looking. Its probably contributing significantly to its moving up in the market share vs. PC. PC is still the 300 lb. gorilla in comparison, but Mac is steadily chipping away. What exactly is the use of a matching suite of computer peripherals? Is my laptop better because my mouse, mouse pad and printer are the same lime green? No. But it is attractive.
Some argue that aesthetics make products more fun to use. In an article/blog from Usability Post, Dmitry Fadeyev says, "We get happiness and enjoyment from a lot of beautiful products. Take cars for example. Any car would get you from point A to point B (hopefully), but we just won’t have as much fun driving a Lada as an Audi." Well I don't really know what a Lada is, but I have driven some UGLY cars in my day. I have a lot more fun in my gold, sporty V6 than in those days when I drove (or sometimes pushed) a primer gray 1983 Renault Alliance with the right side mirror hanging by a thread!
Fadeyev, D. (2008). Do UI Aesthetics Matter?. Usability Post. Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://www.usabilitypost.com/2008/09/17/do-ui-aesthetics-matter/.
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Tanya,
I love your blogs. My first car was not very aesthetically pleasing either ... it was a Buick LeSabre white convertible, or a shade of white and was ALWAYS breaking down. It finally caught on fire when I didn't know what the temperature gauge was and ignored it. (I was only 17 at the time.) But, you are right about aesthetics and how important they are to us. I heard a talk show on the radio about a month or two ago and they were discussing the "ugliest" car. They held a short caller-contest and the Scion, which looks like a box on wheels, won hands down. I had never seen one, but when I did, I had to agree. I wouldn't call it ugly, but I wondered what the car manufacturer traded in safety to make the car as small and efficient as it was. Great post!
tammi :)
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