Visceral design: do looks matter?

In Emotional Design, author Donald Norman asks if good-looking things (physical products, user interfaces, etc.) work better. As he outlines in his book, there is evidence that they do. But beyond functionality, do aesthetics of, say, a package or presentation visuals really matter? What about our emotional reactions to the visual presentation of a meal? A master chef labors to make the food delicious, but also takes great care to make the visual beautifully appealing. Norman argues in his book that the emotional aspects of a design may often be more important to the design's ultimate success than the practical elements. Says Norman:

"Attractive things make people feel good, which in turn makes them think more creatively...positive emotions are critical to learning, curiosity, and creative thought."

Presentation visuals must be free of errors; they must be accurate. But our visuals — like it or not — also touch our audience on an emotional level. People judge instantly whether or not something is attractive to them or not. This is a visceral reaction. And it matters.

Package design & presentation visuals
Just like slides are not the presentation, a package is not the product. The function of a presentation slide, for example, is to support a speaker's message, making things clearer for the audience. Fundamental functions of packaging include ease of transport (such as bottled water or a FedEx box, etc.), protection, and of course, identity and communication. Yet, customers and audiences also have visceral reactions to visual design in each case. Unattractive visual design can overshadow otherwise good content that may lurk inside. Poorly-designed visuals speak louder than words.

Last week I received several emails from readers about this parody video piece on YouTube. I first learned about the clip on Robert Scoble's blog. As Scoble said, "Honesty hurts. Ouch!" There is quite a discussion on Scoble's site and on Microsoft's Channel 9 site where Scoble first learned of the clip. While the piece is sardonic and exaggerated, many feel that there is a lot of truth in there as well. The video is certainly creative and a good bit of comedy. So what would happen if Microsoft re-designed the iPod package? Now you know. (Also here and here).

      
      
Above: These screenshots are from the video available on YouTube. Watch how the simple, clean iPod box goes through transformations that: "Make better use of empty space," and ensures the packaging is "on brand" and that the "richness of the product is communicated."

The dangers of design-by-committee
I work pretty well with people, but I'm not really a fan of committee work. Committees have their place, but often "design-by-committee" projects get watered down by excessive compromise as the great vision that may have been the genesis gets flattened so as to be more "marketable." Many people may have input into your presentation, but in the end, the presentation must have the look and feel of something designed by an individual (you) even if it wasn't. In the end, it's your presentation.

OK, this is not scientific or without bias, but I wondered how Microsoft executive presentation visuals compared with Microsoft's packaging? Is there an "on brand synergy" which subtly communicates consistently the brand's essence? And how might this compare with Apple? Below: Exhibit A (Microsoft) and Exhibit B (Apple).

Exhibit A:

   
    
Exhibit B:

   

   
Microsoft is by no means the worst
Some of Microsoft's packaging is good. And even their "bad stuff" is not the worst in the world. For that you need to come to Japan and visit a computer store. Below are just two boxes I pulled off the shelf and threw on the scanner in my office. I showed these two boxes to a student of mine, a graphic designer from the US. She was speechless for about ten seconds as she stared incredulously at the boxes in my hand. "I wanted to hit you when you showed me those %^$#@! things!" she said. Obviously a visceral response.

When in doubt, cram as much in as possible

   
  Sample hardware packaging in Japan

Some of the absolute best packaging design is in Japan. Also, we can see some of the worst here. The graphic extremes are what make Japan a paradise for those interested in graphic design.

NOTE: Packages and presentations are indeed different. Slides are more ephemeral and meant for one-to-many communication. Packages can be picked up and read and examined on all sides. In this sense package surfaces are one-to-one. But packages are also designed to get attention on a shelf and to be remembered; in this sense they are more like one-to-many. Slides and packages have many things in common too. The front of a package (like a 2-D slide) needs to be (1) noticed and (2) understood regardless of the visceral impact. The aesthetic of the package should be attractive, inviting people to pay attention and to pick it up. And just as unattractive, death-by-ppt visuals can undermine great content, a lousy package can sell a great product short. Likewise, a great package will not save a crappy product in the long run, and beautiful, incredible presentation visuals will not save an otherwise poor presentation. Visual design matters, but it is not a panacea.

  • Package Design Magazine on clean, simple, design.
  • Article praising Microsoft package design.

Comments

[met]

But MS sells more stuff :) . I know that could change anyday.

I used to hate packaging which didn't have enough details on it.
But with the internet now, I usually get to know a gadget's features and specs before I actually go out to buy it. So probably Apple's way is the future.

[Paul D]

You hit it on the head. Buying an Apple product feels better because of the wonderful experience you have opening it. I mean, they even add a subtle fragrant scent to their minimalist computer boxes.

[Robert P]

I agree that packaging needs to be informative in a way that slides aren't. In a store, I'll have to compare two products, and if I can't see the specs right in front of me (speed, capacity, compatability etc.) the package is useless. I feel at least one side of a good package is full of tech specs.

For a slide on the other hand, I can rely on the presenter to explain the details (and want to).

[DM]

Well as my mother is fond of saying:

Eye appeal is buy appeal...

[Kevin Bjorke]

In the two presentation photos, there's also a physical connection/disconnection. Jobs makes himself PART of the visual, walking forward with some purpose along the graph of increasing sales strength. Gates waves his hands randomly and without connection to the image, just another bit of random chatter.

[Jesus H]

Did you mean to say "parity" or "parody"?

[Garr]

>Did you mean to say "parity" or "parody"?

Yes I did. Thanks very much for the typo, -G

[Ben Buchanan]

I don't think pretty things "work better", but I do think people enjoy using them more and are far more willing to forgive the shortfalls.

If something is hard to use and exceedingly ugly, people will give up on it far more quickly than something which is hard to use but a pleasure to look at. IMHO.

I keep thinking of a time we redesigned a website's search engine interface. The underlying technology did not change one bit, but it looked different (and the design went from blue to red). We got quite a few emails saying "wow, it works so much better - and so much faster!". I kid you not.

[Matt]

One thing I've always found peculiar about the Gates vs Jobs (Microsoft vs Apple) design comparison it's that the comparor typically seems to leave out the concept of the target audience. We see pictures of Gates and Jobs on stage with projected slides behind them, but we never see a picture facing out over the audience showing us exactly who is watching...

Apple needs to worry about a retail consumer who appreciates simplicity because they only care about bottom line - does it work? It is cool? Apple's image has to convey simplicity and 'coolness'. Microsoft, on the other hand, is marketing to a much broader base - consider marketing to consumers, VARs, ISVs, partners, hardware manufacturers, and other 3rd parties all at the same time... and MS's apparent design clutter seems a bit more permissable. As of late, I have to say, I think MS has done a far better job of segregating marketing design than in the past. For instance - the initial Origami Project campaign.

[BrooksP]

Do you think Normans rule applies to where we live and the car we drive? Are people in cities with beautiful architecture and climate more creative than someone that lives in a city that does not offer the same (city name omitted so as not to offend anyone)? If my car is attractive, am I more creative? Don’t have any answers, just thinking…

[martinperlin]

Apparently this video was actually created by Microsoft as an internal presentation, but got out. See iPod observer: http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/25957

[Andrew de Andrade]

To a previous poster's comments-

I had never noticed that Apple's packaging had a fragrant scent added to it. Next time I buy something new I'll be sure to take a good long whiff of the packaging.

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Two new studies show why some people are more attractive for members of the opposite sex than others.

The University of Florida, Florida State University found that physically attractive people almost instantly attract the attention of the interlocutor, sobesednitsy with them, literally, it is difficult to make eye. This conclusion was reached by a series of psychological experiments, which were determined by the people who believe in sending the first seconds after the acquaintance. Here, a curious feature: single, unmarried experimental preferred to look at the guys, beauty opposite sex, and family, people most often by representatives of their sex.

The authors believe that this feature developed a behavior as a result of the evolution: a man trying to find a decent pair to acquire offspring. If this is resolved, he wondered potential rivals. Detailed information about this magazine will be published Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

In turn, a joint study of the Rockefeller University, Rockefeller University and Duke University, Duke University in North Carolina revealed that women are perceived differently by men smell. During experiments studied the perception of women one of the ingredients of male pheromone-androstenona smell, which is contained in urine or sweat.

The results were startling: women are part of this repugnant odor, and the other part is very attractive, resembling the smell of vanilla, and the third group have not felt any smell. The authors argue that the reason is that the differences in the receptor responsible for the olfactory system, from different people are different.

It has long been proven that mammals (including human) odor is one way of attracting the attention of representatives of the opposite sex. A detailed article about the journal Nature will publish.

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