Aesthetic
From The Learning Engineer's Knowledgebase
The design aesthetic of an educational product is the degree to which the visual features, interface, and content are pleasing to the user.
Definition
The aesthetic of a design is how pleasing the design is to the user. It can be visually pleasing, but also can be pleasing to the user based on how simple the design is structured.
Additionally, some designers may define the aesthetic as how well the activities flow and how well the visual features of an interface are related to each other.
Additional Information
When discussing aesthetics, designers often discuss the layout, visual features, and flow of activity. It is related to how pleasing a design is to the user, which of course can be different based on each user.
Elements of layout, navigation, and design aesthetics can include the following items:
- Color choices by using colors harmonize well and follow color theory principles and communicate information by using different colors
- Proportion, size, and emphasis of visual features
- Establishing relationships between visual interface features and clear implied relationships by use of shape, placement, and proportion in designing visual elements
- The rhythm, flow, and patterns associated with activity within a product, as well as within recorded media (e.g., video, audio, videogames)
- Unity, coherence, and balance within the overall visual experience
- Introducing variety within visual features to combat monotony and give a fresh experience to users
Aesthetic is also concerned with creating emotional responses via visual and audio elements through some of the following ways:
- Increasing a sense of comfort or relaxation by using a product, as opposed to its opposites of tension and frustration
- Considering the concept of beauty in design and how beautiful features influence a person's emotions (or the inverse, ugly features!)
- Combating harshness, disorganization, and disunity among a design's visual and audio features to increase the user's desire to remain focused and attentive to the activities
- Improving the smoothness and "clunkiness" of interactions so that users do not become frustrated when performing tasks
An old design proverb often suggests that one should choose form over function, which would emphasize priority on the aesthetic design over the technical specifications of the product. The idea is that if a person is not happy with the design or interface, it does not matter whether it functionally works. It is important to maintain a pleasurable experience to maintain the attention and interest of the user.
It is often difficult to anticipate all of the aesthetic choices that need to be made during the design phase alone. Many choices may also be made only when a product is actually being built during the development phase, as the technology that is used, the learning environment, and contexts of how and where the product will be deployed may determine some of the possibilities available in regard to aesthetic. It is ok to revisit the drawing board at any time and revise your design specifications!
Tips and Tricks
- In your designs, consider some of the words and their antonyms that are suggested by proponents of design aesthetics. Also consider how you personally feel about them, what emotions they might make you feel if you encountered them as a user, and how you might improve your designs based:
- unity (and disunity), balance (and imbalance), coherence (and incoherent), smoothness (and harshness), beauty (and ugliness), comfort (and discomfort or tension), organization (and disorganization).
- Consider the concepts of layout design for your visual elements so that you can clearly and effortlessly communicate information:
- Proportion, white space, patterns, color, shape, relationships between elements, repetition, unity, coherence, placement location, contrast
- Unity among elements, harshness, difficulty interpreting what elements mean, emphasis, simple (and complex)
- Take some time to think about and identify the types of emotions and perceptions that you want your learners to have when using your product. Also consider the reverse emotions and how you might prevent them:
- Satisfied (frustrated), pleased (put off), impressed (unimpressed), happy (angry)
Related Concepts
Examples
None yet, check back soon!
External Resources
None yet, check back soon!