There are
different ways to measure the success of a specific design. Before we go into
what makes a successful design we have to look at how we perceive things.
According to Donald Norman, author of Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things
there are three levels of perception:
- Visceral (reactive): Literally the gut reaction – this is biological, hard-wired and automatic. This will, for example, perceive beauty and cause flinching.
- Behavioural (logical): The advanced brain level, reasoning, cognition, language and expert skills.
- Reflective (evaluation): Your self image, the part where you seem to exist. The bit that says "I didn’t mean to say it like that!" two seconds after you’ve inadvertently insulted the boss. This most closely compares to consciousness.
The first
level of consciousness at which we perceive a design is visceral. This is the
automatic reaction that we have of desire, like and dislike.
The second
level of perception behavior, is measured by utility, how effective the design
is, and would be measured by how useful the user found the design and how
productive they were using the design. This is the level of perception that most
concerns usability professionals.
The reflective
level of perception looks at design is on a more intellectual basis. This level
of design is concerned with the higher order emotions such as status. This is
the level of perception that most concerns theoretical discussions on design.
Let’s look
at the iPhone:
First off,
I find it incredibly attractive. I want to touch it, hold it, and play with it.
It looks new. It looks unlike any phone that I have seen before, and I want
one.
In terms of
behaviour and utility, well I have to imagine here. I imagine that it will do
those things that I want to do and will do them well. Apple have so many highly
skilled interaction designers that I trust they will make the user experience a
success. The fact that it looks so good, gives me every confidence that the
user experience will also be a thing of beauty. Especially after it has gone
through some different iterations and has removed the first version glitches.
Finally,
looking at the reflective level, I see that I have already reasoned that
because it is so beautiful it must be fit for purpose. I have strong feelings
of trust and respect for the Apple image and brand name. These positive
feelings make me a warm target for any new Apple product offering. I also fit
the early adopter profile as I like to project an image that is tech savvy,
geeky and ahead of the curve in terms of tech gadget adoption.
Now analyzing
how I feel about the Apple iPhone design for all of 2 minutes shows to me just how
intertwined these levels of perception are. Each level interacts and influences
the next. It is impossible to separate out only one level of design. They must
all be considered together holistically.
So if we relate to a design on so many different levels, and if we each have our own unique appreciation of what makes a design good or bad, well then how are we to judge if a design is successful. A good design sells more would say a businessman. A good design wins awards would say the designer. A humanist might say that a good design is one that improves the lives of those who use it.
I say a good design is a work in progress, that it is never finished and never will be perfect. That the act of designing is the striving towards that essence of what the product or service should be.
Jon
