Once, good design could be evaluated by asking ‘does it meet the required functionality?’, ‘does it meet budget?’, ‘does it look good?’. It could be argued that the latter tended not to be an initial requirement; it was acceptable to design a product from the inside out, so function determined form.
It has long been recognised that good design puts the user in the driving seat. Disciplines such as ergonomics, interface design and human factors research have brought a gradual shift in priority, with users more often considered a part of the design process than not. Whilst the phenomenal take up of technology could be attributed to a decrease in its relative cost, it also suggests that designers are making technology more appealing by overcoming the associated aesthetic and usability issues.
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