“The Esthetic-Usability Effect”, 2017-01-29 (; backlinks; similar):
Users are more tolerant of minor usability issues when they find an interface visually appealing. This esthetic-usability effect can mask UI problems and can prevent issue discovery during usability testing. Identify instances of the esthetic-usability effect in your user research by watching what your users do, as well as listening to what they say.
It’s a familiar frustration to usability-test moderators: You watch a user struggle through a suboptimal UI, encountering many errors and obstacles. Then, when you ask the user to comment on her experience, all she can talk about is the site’s great color scheme:
During usability testing, one user encountered many issues while shopping on the FitBit site, ranging from minor annoyances in the interaction design to serious flaws in the navigation. She was able to complete her task, but with difficulty. However, in a post-task questionnaire, she rated the site very highly in ease of use. “It’s the colors they used”, she said. “Looks like the ocean, it’s calm. Very good photographs.” The positive emotional response caused by the esthetic appeal of the site helped mask its usability issues.
Instances like this are often the result of the esthetic-usability effect.
Definition: The aesthetic-usability effect refers to users’ tendency to perceive attractive products as more usable. People tend to believe that things that look better will work better—even if they aren’t actually more effective or efficient.