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So in our poll when this series started we determined that the defining factor of a good user experience was usability (33.59% of the votes), a well balanced approach based on a combination of all of the elements (Usefulness / Usability, Media Quality / Visual Appeal, Emotional Appeal, Support Interactions (help features)) was the second most important approach, and visual appeal came in a distant third (mostly due to being included in the all of the above selection).

Visual Appeal

We talked about having a solid balance, and we talked about the importance of usability, so now we are going to look at visual appeal.

Most of us have an idea of what we like to see in a website design, or what our favorite style of design is whether it is clean minimal design, very illustrative design, Grid layouts, Metallic, or Abstract, we may like these styles but that is simply a matter of opinion, any one of these design styles can excel in the area of visual appeal if executed correctly. Technically no one of these design styles is better than the other; each one has it place, which I believe is the first key to a site having a quality visual appeal.

The shoe has to fit.

No matter how slick or stylish a design is if it doesn’t fit within the scope and feel of the project it’s visual appeal is worthless. What makes a lot of designs visual appeal succeed is the fact that it represents the message and vision of the business, or project.

For example a really cool grungy/illustrative design probably wouldn’t fit for Wells Fargo, or TD Waterhouse. Just the same an indie or metal band wouldn’t want a very plain simple/corporate design. Both of the designs may look awesome in and of themselves but they will not appeal to the majority of the audience that each party is intending to reach.

With anything that has value, especially visual appeal, it’s value is found within the context of it’s purpose

Don’t sacrifice comfort for beauty.

My wife always complains about certain pairs of shoes hurting her feet. My response is always “Well why did you buy them if they aren’t comfortable” Her response follows “they were so cute that I just had to have them”.

If we are sacrificing usability for visual appeal we are chasing the wind. No matter how cool something looks if you can’t use it it’s value decreases. We must strive to find the balance in creating beautiful interfaces/designs that people can use easily.

We do our client no favors when our designs (as cool as they may be) do not help the targeted audience accomplish the goals that the client has in mind for them. We will go further in our careers as designers when we are able to deliver stylish designs that are easy to use capturing the vision of our clients/bosses.

These are what I would see as two of the most important aspects of visual appeal as it relates to a good user experience. I know there are probably other aspects, but I enjoy getting information in bits as opposed to being overwhelmed by tons of information. Next week I will post a wrap up on this series summarizing the major points from each article.

If you have any input, feedback, or can add something that I missed or left out, I would love to hear it.

~ Aaron I