User interface aesthetics

User interface aesthetics is the degree to which a user interface enables pleasing and satisfying interaction for the user. It is a quality attribute and, per ISO/IEC 25010, a sub-characteristic of usability, alongside others such as learnability and accessibility.

Unlike most of usability’s other sub-characteristics, aesthetics is concerned with subjective satisfaction rather than with a user’s ability to complete a task. An interface can be fully operable and still feel unpleasant to use, and a beautiful one can still fail at its job.

In practice, the two are related. A well-designed visual hierarchy, consistent styling, and appropriate use of whitespace and typography tend to make an interface both more pleasing and easier to learn.

References

• ISO/IEC (2023). ISO/IEC 25010:2023 — Systems and software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) — Quality model.