One of the great struggles any good designer has is walking the fine line between what is aesthetically beautiful and what is usable. We see this on websites, in software, and in hardware. Since conversion is king, the answer to this classic problem (from a simply business perspective) is typically "whichever converts better." The underlying point is that usability testing will tell you clearly if your designs err more on the "pretty" side and less on the "usable" site. Today we'll talk about the challenges of pushing the design envelope, if "universal intuition" really exists, and how to mitigate the risks inherent in streamlined design..... Read more.
