Usability and aesthetics: The case of architectural websites

Abstract

Modern people create, communicate and share knowledge and information through the web, but the need for usable website design is taken for granted. The ever increasing user familiarity with the web has drastically reduced user tolerance to website functionality problems. On the other hand, a requirement steadily observed by usability specialists refers to an increasing preference for the aesthetically pleasing and not the merely functional. This study aims to investigate the relation between website usability and aesthetics using the case of architectural websites and their typical users who are design experts with demanding aesthetic requirements. The study confirms that there is a close connection between aesthetics and perceived usability both when these two requirements are satisfied and when they are not.