When Functionality Isn’t Important
Have you ever owned a product that didn’t provide any real value or benefit to you?
This could be a vintage Rolex with a face that’s barely legible to tell time or a musty mink coat that was passed down to you from your grandmother.
Why do we hold on to these items or show them off to our friends when it provides no real value to our daily lives?
This behavior seems contradictory when in the field of User Experience design we are taught that products should be functional and provide a solution to the individual interacting with it. Good design is one where a user can achieve their desired goals and experience the least amount of negative emotions during the interaction. So why do we value products that don’t even function the way they should?
It turns out that usability is not the only motivator when it comes to users’ decisions for preferring a particular product. This type of design is what Don Norman refers to as reflective design. In reflective design we consider the pros and cons of a product and consciously decide if we are willing to compromise on the functionality.
It is important to note that in reflective design, the product is visually attractive to the user and provides a benefit to the user’s self-image and how others would perceive the user associated with that product. It has less to do with the usability but rather how a product would fit into their daily lives holistically.
I agree that User Experience design should focus on behavioral aspects such as the usability of the product, but it’s interesting to learn about other motivators when it comes to how we as humans choose certain products over others.
After all, majority of people don’t purchase the newest AirPods because they are the best in the market.