The Aesthetic Usability Effect

Pretty=useable.

The aesthetic-usability effect refers to users’ tendency to perceive attractive products as more usable. People tend to believe that things that look better will work better — even if they aren’t actually more effective or efficient.

Users are more tolerant of usability issues when they find an interface visually appealing. This can mask UI problems and can prevent you from identifying important issues during usability testing. When you’ve nailed the form, you may have to dig deeper to nail the function.

Reading about this reminded me of the 30 Rock episode where they talk about the “handsome bubble”. In the episode, Tina Fey’s character discovers that her boyfriend lives in a “bubble” because of his good looks, and has never experienced many of the unpleasant phenomena in life.

The bubble feels good in the short term, but can have lasting long term consequences. Or as Jack Donaghy says: “Bazhacofonshzhafontú”.