User Data Isn’t Everything
Graphic designers and user experience experts often see the world differently. The UX/usability person may view the graphic designer’s creative and aesthetic contributions as indulgent. The visual designer argues that beauty enhances usability and trust. This recent article in A List Apart explores both sides and concludes:
“Smart graphic design is always some balance of current expressive trends, information architecture, classical layout aesthetics, and detailed research on user preferences and motivations. You should never ignore solid user experience data, but mountains of data won’t auto-magically build you a successful site.”