Design Intelligence October 8

1. I think that making a product look complex can add to the visceral ,behavioral and reflective design aspects. Having a product that is complex is viscerally attractive because it looks much more attractive than a product that has a simple layout. People just seem more attracted to products that look more complex. A product that displays some hints of complexity can also add to the behavioral aspect of design because the product seems like it has tons of features, features that most people do not need. Perhaps these features would be nice "just in case" or they feel that they will use these features later. Having a complex feature also adds to the reflective design aspect because it sends a message to other people that perhaps the user is someone of importance. For instance, if you see someone with a Blackberry you may think that they are some sort of businessman.
I think that simplicity also contributes to visceral, behavioral and reflective design. Viscerally, simplicity can make a product look more attractive because it may be less cluttered with buttons and give the product a nice sleek look. For instance, most televisions today have their buttons tucked away on the side of the television giving it a nice smooth look. Behaviorally speaking, simplicity makes a product seem user friendly. A product with less buttons just seems easier to use. For example the Ipod only has 5 buttons, each button does one thing and this product is hailed for its ease of use. Also most people that are in some sort of profession require a product that does one thing and one thing only. They don't need a product that is complex because it would make their job harder. A simple product does not have as much of an impact on reflective design as a complex one but there are still some contributions. I think that a message that is given through a simple product is that the buyer knows exactly what he or she wants. They have left out all the useless clutter that they have no use for and have bought the product that will do the job.
2. "Upon reflecting on several technological purchases made over the years, I can say without trepidation that the determining factors in many of these purchases centered on whichever device was most complex and feature-rich." -Javin

"First, and the main reason I purchased this phone was because it has a touch screen. This may seem sensible at first, but when I really think about it, it creates more of a problem than making things easier. I have to constantly put on screen-lock as any touch in my pocket does something unwanted. Not only this, but it also is more difficult to use than a regular keyboard. Aside from the touch screen, there are many unused features such as mobile television. I will never want or be able to pay for it. Both of these are good examples of how the features at the beginning seemed “cool” or “new” but came to be more of a problem than anything." -Jeff

I thought that Javin and Jeff summed up the thought process of most people when they go out and buy a product. Most people can be caught up with the different features and functions with most products today. They just seem so amazed with some product and they have an urge to just purchase it. I hear people say things such as: "that's so cool!", sometimes they are so taken away they can only muster up a barely audible "whoa". Whenever these words are spoken it seems inevitable that they will buy the product if they can.