It might sound so obvious, but some prefer to have some numbers to back it up, and that is exactly what a research commissioned by HTC provides. The scientific study has concluded that a well-designed object, which is not only functional but also beautiful, can reduce negative emotions considerably.
The research was conducted on 2,177 people from seven markets whose biometric responses, such as heart rate and sweat, were measured as they interacted with various everyday objects of varying qualities of design. They were even tested on how looking or interacting with such objects affected their performance in online creativity tests.
The results should surprise no one but still bear mentioning. Those who interacted with well-designed objects reported higher levels of happiness and as much as 29 percent reduction in negative emotions like anger and annoyance. Conversely, Objects that were functional but not as beautiful tipped negative emotions by 23 percent. Naturally, these positive and negative emotions were found to affect creativity as well. Interestingly, there has been no mention of the effects of objects, not art pieces, that were beautiful but not exactly functional.
This definition of design is, however, a tricky balancing act between functionality and beauty. HTC believes that it hit that sweet spot with HTC One because of how well it was received. And it will continue to apply that design consciousness to its other products, though hopefully that doesn’t mean they’ll just keep on repeating the HTC One over and over again.
