4 ms·

Instead of creating "gorgeous" UI, shouldn't we be creating usable UI? Just because something is wonderful to look at in no way guarantees that it's functional

by jxf 12y ago

Instead of creating "gorgeous" UI, shouldn't we be creating usable UI? Just because something is wonderful to look at in no way guarantees that it's functional or usable. I feel like these articles miss the point that ultimately, UI is about people. If people don't actually enjoy it and have a better experience, then it doesn't matter how nice it looks.

jljljl 12y ago
Is there any reason a UI can't be both? If you take his comments about overlaying text, for example, he's offering tips on how to keep overlaid text readable while also looking gorgeous. This is something that combines both usability with visual appeal. I'd also argue that _people_ aren't a bunch of automatons who use computer interfaces simply to accomplish tasks. A "gorgeous" UI can make an otherwise mundane task (e.g., looking up which recipes to cook) into something fun and enjoyable.
- jxf 12y ago
  They can definitely be both! But the function of a UI is not to be "gorgeous" -- it's to be usable. A UI that's entirely functional without being flashy or visually attractive still accomplishes its mission (e.g. space shuttle control panels). A UI that's beautiful to look at but can't be understood is of little value.
  - scott_s 12y ago
    I think you're arguing against a point nobody made. The article is about "creating gorgeous UI". The article is explicitly focused on making things that look good. The author does not argue this focus on aesthetics is more important than usability. (Although usability is partially a concern if you consider how much he talks about text legibility.) I think reasonable people can agree that interfaces should be usable and beautiful. I think it is then also reasonable that someone would want to have a focused discussion on just one part of that.
- crs 12y ago
  "I'd also argue that _people_ aren't a bunch of automatons who use computer interfaces simply to accomplish tasks. A "gorgeous" UI can make an otherwise mundane task (e.g., looking up which recipes to cook) into something fun and enjoyable." I wish I could upvote this comment more. On a front-end client client for a US CBP command and control system, I had to design and implement both a day and night mode. The operators loved the night mode so much they ran it during the day too.. they called it sexy mode. It was the first time I saw how excited and fun they were having because they just felt cool using the system. The experience had a huge impact on me.
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gqvijay 12y ago
Absolutely, usable UI is a must but why not make it gorgeous. It doesn't have to be one or the other. > ..then it doesn't matter how nice it looks. In a way, making it usable (done elegantly) is part of "gorgeous" UI. I wouldn't underestimate the power of beautiful visual design. It evokes user's emotions in such a way that makes it memorable. It makes it a great UX all around. I try not to look at it in a separate way as the whole thing (usable and nice visually) is what makes it beautiful. But in its crude form, I do agree the usability is the most important but I just think visual design is not too far from it.
dkersten 12y ago
Did you read part 1? https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeous-ui-part-1-559d4e805cda?hn=1 https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeo... From the intro: I was a UX designer with no UI skills. I love designing UX, but I wasn’t doing it for long before I realized there were a bunch of good reasons to learn how to make an interface look nice: My portfolio looked like crap, reflecting poorly on my work and thought process My UX consulting clients would rather buy someone’s skills if their expertise extended to more than just sketching boxes and arrows Did I want to work for an early-stage startup at some point? Best to be a sweeper I love designing UX, but I wasn’t doing it for long before I realized there were a bunch of good reasons to learn how to make an interface look nice
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RobertKerans 12y ago
If you're going to go to the effort of making something that is useful, I don't think going the extra mile to make it beautiful is wasted effort. I don't think anyone could really argue that going in the other direction is a good thing, squeezing something functional into an aesthetically beautiful shell (though that is obviously very common amongst young designers [and Philippe Starck]). But taking something useful, and carefully designing the look and feel of it to be beautiful is a more than reasonable thing to do; it invokes desire.
mbesto 12y ago
This is an important point, especially considering so many startups dub themselves with "a gorgeous/beautiful way to do X or Y". This concept, generally regarded as "aesthetics", is considered a universal principle of design: "The aesthetic-usability effect describes a phenomenon in which people perceive more-aesthetic designs as easier to use than less-aesthetic designs—whether they are or not."[0] Point is - something that looks good may "trick" the person into thinking something is more usable even if it's not. [0] https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9781592535873/xhtml/ch04.html https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/universal-pri...
serve_yay 12y ago
For one thing this is addressed in the first part, for another thing I find it somewhat naive. People are precisely the issue, appearance matters immensely to them. It's a mistake to pretend otherwise.
hackerews 12y ago
http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html
notatoad 12y ago
No, we should not be creating usable UIs instead of gorgeous UIs. We should be creating gorgeous and beautiful UIs. They aren't mutually exclusive. This article is about creating things that look good. It isn't saying "this is all you should care about, it doesn't matter how your UI functions", it's just saying "these are some tips for making this look good". Making things usable is outside the scope of the article, but there's plenty of articles discussing usability. This single article does not contain every piece of information you need to understand interface design, it just covers one aspect. It isn't uncommon for an article to have a subject.
- fibbery 12y ago
  I think you meant "gorgeous and usable" UIs but that's a pretty funny typo.
Igglyboo 12y ago
Visual appeal is important as well as usability. If you show a user two pages, one with very well thought out UX but looks like it was designed in 1998, and a convoluted UX that happens to be extremely pretty, the second page is going to be favored to the vast majority of people.

by jxf 12y ago

jljljl 12y ago

Is there any reason a UI can't be both? If you take his comments about overlaying text, for example, he's offering tips on how to keep overlaid text readable while also looking gorgeous. This is something that combines both usability with visual appeal. I'd also argue that _people_ aren't a bunch of automatons who use computer interfaces simply to accomplish tasks. A "gorgeous" UI can make an otherwise mundane task (e.g., looking up which recipes to cook) into something fun and enjoyable.

jxf 12y ago
They can definitely be both! But the function of a UI is not to be "gorgeous" -- it's to be usable. A UI that's entirely functional without being flashy or visually attractive still accomplishes its mission (e.g. space shuttle control panels). A UI that's beautiful to look at but can't be understood is of little value.
- scott_s 12y ago
  I think you're arguing against a point nobody made. The article is about "creating gorgeous UI". The article is explicitly focused on making things that look good. The author does not argue this focus on aesthetics is more important than usability. (Although usability is partially a concern if you consider how much he talks about text legibility.) I think reasonable people can agree that interfaces should be usable and beautiful. I think it is then also reasonable that someone would want to have a focused discussion on just one part of that.
crs 12y ago
"I'd also argue that _people_ aren't a bunch of automatons who use computer interfaces simply to accomplish tasks. A "gorgeous" UI can make an otherwise mundane task (e.g., looking up which recipes to cook) into something fun and enjoyable." I wish I could upvote this comment more. On a front-end client client for a US CBP command and control system, I had to design and implement both a day and night mode. The operators loved the night mode so much they ran it during the day too.. they called it sexy mode. It was the first time I saw how excited and fun they were having because they just felt cool using the system. The experience had a huge impact on me.

deleted 12y ago

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gqvijay 12y ago

Absolutely, usable UI is a must but why not make it gorgeous. It doesn't have to be one or the other. > ..then it doesn't matter how nice it looks. In a way, making it usable (done elegantly) is part of "gorgeous" UI. I wouldn't underestimate the power of beautiful visual design. It evokes user's emotions in such a way that makes it memorable. It makes it a great UX all around. I try not to look at it in a separate way as the whole thing (usable and nice visually) is what makes it beautiful. But in its crude form, I do agree the usability is the most important but I just think visual design is not too far from it.

dkersten 12y ago

Did you read part 1? https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeous-ui-part-1-559d4e805cda?hn=1 https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeo... From the intro: I was a UX designer with no UI skills. I love designing UX, but I wasn’t doing it for long before I realized there were a bunch of good reasons to learn how to make an interface look nice: My portfolio looked like crap, reflecting poorly on my work and thought process My UX consulting clients would rather buy someone’s skills if their expertise extended to more than just sketching boxes and arrows Did I want to work for an early-stage startup at some point? Best to be a sweeper I love designing UX, but I wasn’t doing it for long before I realized there were a bunch of good reasons to learn how to make an interface look nice

deleted 12y ago

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RobertKerans 12y ago

If you're going to go to the effort of making something that is useful, I don't think going the extra mile to make it beautiful is wasted effort. I don't think anyone could really argue that going in the other direction is a good thing, squeezing something functional into an aesthetically beautiful shell (though that is obviously very common amongst young designers [and Philippe Starck]). But taking something useful, and carefully designing the look and feel of it to be beautiful is a more than reasonable thing to do; it invokes desire.

mbesto 12y ago

This is an important point, especially considering so many startups dub themselves with "a gorgeous/beautiful way to do X or Y". This concept, generally regarded as "aesthetics", is considered a universal principle of design: "The aesthetic-usability effect describes a phenomenon in which people perceive more-aesthetic designs as easier to use than less-aesthetic designs—whether they are or not."[0] Point is - something that looks good may "trick" the person into thinking something is more usable even if it's not. [0] https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9781592535873/xhtml/ch04.html https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/universal-pri...

serve_yay 12y ago

For one thing this is addressed in the first part, for another thing I find it somewhat naive. People are precisely the issue, appearance matters immensely to them. It's a mistake to pretend otherwise.

hackerews 12y ago

http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

notatoad 12y ago

No, we should not be creating usable UIs instead of gorgeous UIs. We should be creating gorgeous and beautiful UIs. They aren't mutually exclusive. This article is about creating things that look good. It isn't saying "this is all you should care about, it doesn't matter how your UI functions", it's just saying "these are some tips for making this look good". Making things usable is outside the scope of the article, but there's plenty of articles discussing usability. This single article does not contain every piece of information you need to understand interface design, it just covers one aspect. It isn't uncommon for an article to have a subject.

fibbery 12y ago
I think you meant "gorgeous and usable" UIs but that's a pretty funny typo.

Igglyboo 12y ago

Visual appeal is important as well as usability. If you show a user two pages, one with very well thought out UX but looks like it was designed in 1998, and a convoluted UX that happens to be extremely pretty, the second page is going to be favored to the vast majority of people.