4 ms·

This implies that design is a zero sum game where you can have either beautiful or useful. This is not the case and never was.

• chime 17y ago
  It may not be a zero sum game but it is definitely a major issue. Real life has constraints and unless you're one of the very few creative designers who understand beauty and UI very well, you have to decide how much time to spend on making something prettier vs. making something more useful. For most people, these two are not the one and the same thing.
  • oneplusone 17y ago
    I would argue for somebody to be a good designer they do need to understand both. If they only understand one they are mediocre at best. The best UI experiences depends a lot on aesthetics and elegance. A good aesthetic can do many wonderful things including making your app appear faster and smoother than it actually is.
    • netsp 17y ago
      Take that even further. Just because a web page looks good on black cardboard, does not mean it is a beautiful web page. The piece of paper on the black card is what is beautiful. The former is a representation of the latter. It may lose some important aspects. A picture of a dancer may be beautiful, while the dance is not. Beauty or aesthetics or not easily defined concepts. But I don't think you can have a beautiful web page that doesn't perform its role. The two are not just intertwined, one is a part of the other.