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Style over substance?

• By Paul Crichton
• 15 Jan 07, 04:54 PM

So most devices, but especially accessible ones, need to work effectively. But is that the only concern, or should design aesthetics also come into consideration?

This subject was recently discussed in a blind tecchie mailing list I subscribe to, and it was a really interesting debate. Some fell in the, "who cares what it looks like so long as it works well?" camp and others were happy to have devices that worked well and were ugly so long as they could keep them out of sight. But as one subscriber put it, "If that were possible, I would choose technology based on whether it did the job, fitted my sense of style and felt like part of my way of life... The trouble is that unlike most of the population, we can't have that. Instead we're disagreeing about whether functionality, price or aesthetics is more important."

I remember attending a meeting last year when a client told me that in allocating a prize for a competition, they were recommended to offer an iPod rather than £500 cash, because it would attract more entrants – even though an iPod doesn’t cost as much as £500. Why? Why was, and is, the iPod such a must-have accessory? There are plenty of similar devices on the market. A big reason why all of Apple’s products have shifted so well comes down to the fact they are so stylish.

So if style matters to most people, why should it not also be a consideration for accessible products?

There are some exceptions that prove the rules, but on the whole, accessible devices have a nasty tendency to be big and clunky, with big, brightly coloured buttons. Perhaps the answer lies in more inclusive design. After all, whilst some of these gadgets are seen as the tools of the young, they too will be old one day, and have access issues as well. I can just see Steve Jobs trying to make the latest diminutive iPod work with his arthritic fingers in 2067.

Apple’s new iPhone has got people salivating about how sexy it is. However, it is hard to imagine anything that could make the iPhone less accessible than replacing the keypad with a touch screen – a move that has interestingly brought quite a lot of praise for improving usability. That’s fine while there is still choice in the market, but if this becomes the standard mobile, then what will that mean to everyone that has trouble using a touch screen?

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