Attraction and Action: User Types for Blending Aesthetical and Functional Design

Abstract

Visual-information design is capable not only of delivering messages to its viewers, but also of enhancing services that structure and represent concepts. This approach is a way to merge aesthetics and functionality into one design practice for fully meeting users' needs and satisfactions. From this design perspective, information that people will visualize should be accessible and understandable. Information satisfying these two criteria would have meaningful content that is self-explanatory enough to spark users' interest in seeing the information, to complement users' ability to understand it, and possibly to inspire the users further. That how to make the visual-information to be qualified falls not only onto the real practices, onto the general design theory that serves to enhance the visual-friendly nature of content for users, but also onto the understanding targeted users. Understanding your targeted users is the backbone of design processes from the very beginning to the end. This article addresses the preliminary stage in a robotic service and marketing experiment, where as to understand users' experience from their outer indication (behavior and reaction) and inner gain (information learned and perception). With visualization processes, information design solution, and Kolb's Learning Style, we defined (a) goal-oriented, (b) pioneer, (c) observer, and (d) risk-taker four user types. Those definitions and discussions provide important references for visual strategy development. As design rests on the processes of problem solving, user study rests on the processes of observing and understanding users for their needs, expectations and satisfactions. Aside from the information-design and commercial-design theories that can guide designers to ensure the representations are usable, legible and understandable, the user study can fill the gap in the theory and practice. It can also avoid the ambiguity of design details for sparking users' interest in access the interface and for inspiring them to activate further interaction.