Many people perceive that designers are containers for creative skills that make a product attractive and aesthetically pleasing. However, their role explains that they are the force that escalates the user experience of any product. So does that mean that the “design” in designers stands for nothing?
Although a designer’s job is to refine the efficiency of the product, its aesthetics is a core design principle that defines the products’ pleasing qualities. A design is influenced by an all-rounder understanding of the product’s purpose. It thereby communicates its requirement to the user with the help of upgraded features and an alluring outlook. It is an act of connecting with the user to introduce far more successful designs.
For instance, Apple AirPods were welcomed by the market with a net value worth Billions. The brand value did incense the market air, but its functionality was more striking for customers. Undoubtedly, the chic peek of these earpods was complementary in the pack. But, after the arrival of earpods by competitive brands, the appearance of Apple’s AirPods became transient when compared to its fantastic sound, good construction, convenience, versatility, and compactness. This implies that the visuality of the product design was consistent across the whole product and user journey.
Aesthetics and functionality are two different entities divided by philosophy and practicality. A Function is driven by purpose, and aestheticism is the human response to artistic factors. One is guided by mechanisms and the other by sensory experience for which a design is developed. So what happens when these two are clubbed together? The result is something like a pack of Pringles chips which is not just known for its lip-smacking flavor but stands out because of the can’s function over a standard plastic bag. The chips are less likely to be damaged in a can of foil-lined cardboard, with a plastic lid, foil seal, and a metal base. Too much for a pack of quick snacks? Watch out for their market value, then.
As humans, we all understand the effects of “beauty”. People have a tendency to use one positive trait of a person or a thing for an overall judgment of that person or thing. Social psychologists call this “the halo effect”. It is a stereotypically biased notion, but designers manipulate this same psychological conception in their favor. They can easily make consumers believe that a good-looking product and user interface are superior in quality and value.
Today, consumer satisfaction is attained through an evolved form of product designing. The market demands a combination of usability and stimulated senses by default. Two products can be cast off with the same intent, and both can give similar contentment and outcome, but the aesthetics of the design will determine each other’s supremacy in the display. In other words, attractive objects are considered as easier to use and of higher value than ones. But aesthetics cannot always take over usability, can they? For a piece of equipment that is specially designed for emergencies, people’s cognition of beauty is compromised and given low priority. A well-designed ICU ventilator with advanced features and an easy user interface is preferred more during depressing constraints. But, how will you comment on the magnificent and charming sight of Apollo’s super-specialty or flagship hospital in India? Doctors with the same MBBS degrees and treatment methods make a comparatively more remarkable impression over the citizens than the city’s so-called “smaller” hospitals. Clearly, the architectural design does play a role here.
Indeed, the concept of artfulness and performance is similar to the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Yin and Yang. No matter how seemingly opposite or contrary the forces are, they complement, interconnect, and are interdependent in the economic world. Neither of the two can alone let a product rise to its highest demands but only through their interconnectedness can they raise the value.
