3 ms·

I think that design is as much about a feel as it is about a style and getting that feel into users lives is the experience in user experience. Making somethin

I think that design is as much about a feel as it is about a style and getting that feel into users lives is the experience in user experience. Making something outstanding is about making something that people love, like really, really love. Creating an experience with a "hook" is as important as style ever is. The iPhone experience has a hook, Xbox Live has a hook, Facebook has a hook, twitter has a hook, HN has a hook and that experience hook has nothing to do with what the UI looks like right now or in the future. People loved/hated seukomorphic design, but that misses the point. If it enables a particular experience that hooks/delights users, then it's a good thing. If not, it's a bad thing, but the merits of the style itself sort of lives outside of the actual product design discussion IMO.

pedalpete 13y ago
I really like your comment, however, we can't ignore the visual appeal as well, and that visual appeal can be the hook. If AngryBirds wasn't cartoonish, and had a cold interface with only dots and blocks, it would cease to be as entertaining, and therefore the design is key to the user experience. This isn't only true in games. The hooks of Facebook were similar to the hooks of myspace, but myspace became difficult to interpret, where Facebook remained easy to read while being less about the perceived style of your friends. Your comment makes me think you're saying, make sure you don't have a pig before you put lipstick on it.
- programminggeek 13y ago
  I am not saying you can't ignore visual appeal at all. I'm just saying that visual appeal should serve to enhance the hook, and when well done it really makes a great total package, but the design itself is not the hook. For example, modern PC laptops basically are ripping off the design of the Macbook Air, with varying results. Yet, one thing Apple does consistently well is the trackpad and somehow in almost every review I read, the trackpad of every PC laptop doesn't match well with the MBA. They never feel right, even if they look very, very similar. It might feel like a very small thing, but that little bit of hardware design and software drivers changes how the user feels about what might otherwise look like comparable hardware. At the same time, I don't mean to discount the design or graphics when done well. A game like Borderlands takes a great gameplay experience with a fantastic hook (random loot drops/rpg elements), and the graphics helps add a vibe all its own. A different graphical style and it would look like a different take on Gears of War, Fallout 3, or Call of Duty... Anyway, I think we are on the same page.

pedalpete 13y ago

I really like your comment, however, we can't ignore the visual appeal as well, and that visual appeal can be the hook. If AngryBirds wasn't cartoonish, and had a cold interface with only dots and blocks, it would cease to be as entertaining, and therefore the design is key to the user experience. This isn't only true in games. The hooks of Facebook were similar to the hooks of myspace, but myspace became difficult to interpret, where Facebook remained easy to read while being less about the perceived style of your friends. Your comment makes me think you're saying, make sure you don't have a pig before you put lipstick on it.

programminggeek 13y ago
I am not saying you can't ignore visual appeal at all. I'm just saying that visual appeal should serve to enhance the hook, and when well done it really makes a great total package, but the design itself is not the hook. For example, modern PC laptops basically are ripping off the design of the Macbook Air, with varying results. Yet, one thing Apple does consistently well is the trackpad and somehow in almost every review I read, the trackpad of every PC laptop doesn't match well with the MBA. They never feel right, even if they look very, very similar. It might feel like a very small thing, but that little bit of hardware design and software drivers changes how the user feels about what might otherwise look like comparable hardware. At the same time, I don't mean to discount the design or graphics when done well. A game like Borderlands takes a great gameplay experience with a fantastic hook (random loot drops/rpg elements), and the graphics helps add a vibe all its own. A different graphical style and it would look like a different take on Gears of War, Fallout 3, or Call of Duty... Anyway, I think we are on the same page.