In the battle of aesthetics vs. function, visually pleasing appearance seems to be winning. As the theory of the aesthetic-usability effect suggests, users tend to see attractive products as more usable.
People are inclined to think that aesthetically appealing items will work better, even if they are actually more defective or inefficient. Pretty appearance also makes cosnumers more tolerant of minor errors in design.
In fact, it was found that around 75% of users would trust a website that is pleasing to the eye. This, of course, goes beyond digital pages. Applications, dashboards, and physical designs also have better user perception if they look attractive.
This proves that user experience can’t be just functional. Attractive design shouldn’t be just a ‘nice’ addition, it plays a big role in how consumers perceive products.
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Such consumer behavior was first observed by researchers Masaaki Kurosu and Kaori Kashimur in the 90s who were studying human-computer interaction at the Hitachi Design Center.
They tried testing 26 variations of an ATM user interface (this usually involves screens and other elements that create a connecting point between humans and computers), asking 252 participants to evaluate their aesthetic appeal as well as ease of use. They found that the influence of aesthetics was stronger in their ratings of user experience than the actual ease of use.
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However, even though a pretty design can make people blind to minor usability problems, it can’t cover up the large ones. Let’s say you’re entering a website and you’re met with large, visually appealing pictures throughout the entire page. Initially, you might appreciate the photos. However, as you start to browse through, you begin to notice the site’s low information content, and it becomes hard to look for the things that interest you. Frustrated, you might exit the page and never come back.
That’s why it’s important that function and form work together. When products aren’t easy to use or functionality is sacrificed for aesthetics, users can lose patience, and companies can say goodbye to returning customers.
Another reason why product designers shouldn’t rely only on aesthetics is its subjective nature. Beauty is personal to each individual's culture and demographic. So color schemes, fonts, and symbols can be evaluated differently depending on the user’s experiences and background. A Korean person might find a bright red interface inviting, while someone from the US might find it too loud and distracting.
