Gilberto, I totally agree w/ your take that aesthetics can lead to usability and even the opposite, that usability can lead to aesthetics.
Jared, it isn't absolutely a dichotomy and maybe, I'm using the wrong terms. While I agree that a beautiful interface that doesn't work (in some ways) may become ugly, but I also agree with Norman's assertion that something emotionally appealing can basically make up for its lack of usability. Beauty and the positive emotional impact associated with that creates a pain threshold that I'm not sure I have observed the other way around. I have really seen a "usable" product really make me feel more engaged. For clarification and for the purposes of my post and I'd like to suggest for this thread I am speaking usability quite narrowly possibly. I'm considering usability the quality of a product related to the efficiency and rate of success towards completing a desired activity. Basically, whether a user can or with what level of consistency and efficiency they can complete an intended task in the product design. So again, I do think that I would if the 2 areas became in contention and I have many experiences where they have, learn towards the aesthetic over the purely usable b/c aesthetics can be used to engage in ways that pure usability does not seem to in my experience. -- dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=45640 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
