Does beautiful design matter?

If you look at the success of some of the most popular sites on the web, it seems to be a mixed verdict. Yes, many have had beautiful designs for years, but for some well-known sites, aesthetics promptly took a backseat to form and function… and stayed there.

And surprisingly, most of their visitors don’t seem to care.

There’s something comforting about a homely design. The average site portrays a kind of “mom and pop” flair that instantly lowers people’s built-in B.S. detectors and says, “Hey, we’re just like you!”

In fact, these ugly sites have gained such a fanatically loyal audience over the years that their owners wouldn’t dream of updating their design today. They pride themselves on a site that may not be much to look at, but it’s incredibly easy to use and understand.

Here are four such sites, as well as lessons we can learn from them:

#eBay


By today’s standards, eBay did everything wrong. Back in 1997, they plastered the site with banners, browser buttons, and a cluttered logo that breaks the rules of good logo design.

Today, they’ve toned down their elementary school-inspired color scheme, nixed the banners and provided a clearer path to action on the homepage, and their logo remains one of the most recognizable in the world.

But it’s still pretty ugly.

What We Can Learn from eBay:
EBay’s pages are designed to take you to the products you want to buy, as quickly as possible. It’s not just because that’s what’s profitable. It’s what people come to eBay to do: buy stuff. EBay knows this, and so the entire website is designed to help them.

If you’re running an e-commerce site, it’s a good approach to model, because everyone pretty much understands it. Even 80 year old grandmothers are supplementing their retirement income by selling stuff on eBay — and you know if grandma can use the website, it must be doing something right!

#Google


Can we really call Google “ugly?”

Well, maybe or maybe not, but it’s certainly spartan. Over the years, countless competitors have tried to spring up with more stylish, feature-rich layouts, but Google has so far beaten them all, remaining the undisputed king of the search engine hill.

In fact, Google seems to take pride in its minimalist designs. And why not? It’s one of the most popular websites in the world, and in 2009, they brought in almost $24 billion in revenue. Something seems to be working.

What We Can Learn from Google:
Remove the clutter.

Back when Google first started, it’s simple design was one of its biggest selling points. Everyone was used to the packed, portal-style homepages like Yahoo, and they were actually relieved to see such a simple page.

And it’s a lesson that applies to a lot more than just search. For example:

If visitors come to your website in search of a price quote, you could make your home page a calculator of sorts, asking them the necessary questions and then spitting out an estimate
If your audience consists mainly of beginners looking for information on a certain topic, you could publish a PDF beginner’s guide to your topic and then give it away on your home page
If your people are coming to your website to schedule an appointment, you could make your home page a calendar, where they can click a day and schedule a time
The key is to find out what task your audience wants to accomplish and then make it the focus of your website.

You can always increase the complexity once they become a customer or subscriber. For instance, Google may have an ultra-simple homepage, but if you sign up for an account, you can customize it with any number of widgets, making it as complicated as you want.

The important point, of course, is that it can’t become more complicated until after you sign up. This avoids confusing new users on the front end, while giving more experience customers everything they want at the back.


#LindaIkeji

A common argument within tech circles is that Nigerians do not like good design and they point to the continued success and growth of Linda Ikeji’s blog . What makes for good design? What makes a website usable? Why are seemingly poorly designed products successful?

How Does This Relate to Design?
When users decide to interact with your product, it’s because they need it to achieve a goal. Good design allows people achieve the task that they want to as quickly and easily as possible. When a user visits/uses your website/app/chatbot/other product, they should be able to accomplish what they set out to do without difficulty.

Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Steven Bradley introduced the Design Hierarchy of Needs


The most important needs are functionality and reliability. Linda Ikeji and Nairaland fulfill those needs. Linda Ikeji’s blog provides gossip (functionality), is updated regularly and the stories are found to be true a lot of the time (reliability).

Why Bother?
Now you’re probably asking yourself: “if people care primarily about functionality, why should I bother with aesthetics?”

If your website is beautiful, but your users can’t easily do what they want to do on it, then it’s pretty much useless.

So, where do aesthetics come in? What stands you out from your competitors is how your product looks and feels. Androids and iOS devices pretty much have the same functions, but many people prefer Apple because they believe it’s more aesthetically pleasing.

You can have good design that isn’t beautiful, but you definitely can’t have good design that isn’t functional. So when you’re building products ask yourself: “is my design actually functional, or is it just nice colours and pixels?” Is your design truly good or do you just think it is? Can your users do what they need to easily?

Beautiful design is not always good design and good design is not always beautiful.


Think about Function First, Aesthetics Second
So should you immediately start scrutinizing every image on your site and turning all your links into a 90’s shade of blue?

Well… no. Don’t do that.

You should, however, focus on function first. Figure out what your users are there to do, and then help them do it.

For Google, it’s, “search.” For eBay’s, it’s, “buy (or sell) stuff.” For LindaIkeji, it’s, “gossip news.”

So, think about it:

Why did your visitors come to your website?

And how can you create a design that helps them?

Answer those questions, and whether or not your website is “ugly” will become secondary. You’ll already be on your way to a good design.


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