By Eloisa Godfray I studying User Experience Design BA and am currently interning in UI Design at PUMA in Germany. It is through these environmental factors that I have developed a greater focus on user-centred design. From this perspective lens, I have evaluated the concept of “Anti-Design”. “Anti-designer”, according to Johnny Levanier it is defined as someone who creates a “digital design that rejects convention and traditional aesthetics in favour of challenging, innovative layouts”(Johnny Levanier, 26 /03/22). From this definition alone, I do not think that anti-design is inherently negative. As a UX/UI designer, the empathises is really on whether these innovative designs are still user-centred design. As long as the priority is on the users and how they interact with the design, then I would refer to these designers as experimentalists, not anti-designers. This is because design is an agile process, so, therefore, we need experimentalists to trial and test new designs. If the new design proves to be effective when A/B user testing, then it would be defined as innovation which is needed in an ever-developing industry. Particularly during the pandemic as we became ever-reliant on technology. However, when designing for different users, there are different limitations. For instance, Kate Moran refers to anti-design within design portfolios as anti-design (Kate Moran, 2017). We are able to be more experimental and, in turn, break industry standards within design portfolios because people within the design industry have a greater understanding of technology and the design industry. To stand out, it is beneficial to be experimental with your designs; however when doing this, we are still considering our users and their knowledge. Though as there is not a strict definition, this allows interpretation Johnny Levanier also defines anti design as wanting to create “experiences, meaningful interactions, mystery, the unexpected. When users think back on their most vivid memories, “simple” is the last word they’d use to describe them.”(Johnny Levanier, 26 /03/22). Similarly, I again would question if these designs have been created with users in mind and how much weighting was given to the personas in the design process. Design isn't always about creating a memorable experience sometimes, it is about being predictable and as a result some would perceive as boring. When designing the UX/UI at PUMA our overarching aim is to create a website or app that is easy for the user to navigate around and make purchases. Therefore, the purpose isn’t to be a memorable experience when navigating through the purchasing process; instead, we base our design on what scores highly when user testing factors such as checkout time or an average number of items purchased. The memorable experience is what you have with the product you purchase. Johnny Levanier has referenced some examples of “anti-design”. Unless the design is anti-user, I fully support the movement's strive to be innovative. For instance, Utrecht’s website (ユトレヒト / Utrecht, no date) has been referenced as anti-design, although I would instead define this as anti-user. Having all the text on the website in red is not innovative or meaningful because it is not an inclusive design. When designing for the web, you must consider accessibility as a top priority, one of the most important industry standards is to meet industry minimum contrast. Red text on a pure white background is low contrast that strains the users eyes over time. Why would you design a website that is not accessible unless you aim to create a hostile environment. Fig 1 Screenshot of Utrecht Website (ユトレヒト / Utrecht, no date)
Therefore, depending on your definition of anti-design, it can either be innovative if user-centred or a failure if anti-user. This is supported by the quote, “One still needs a serious understanding of design concepts and principles to pull off a good piece of anti-design artwork. Or it will just end up a ghastly mess.”(Kavita Khode, 2022) Bibliography Johnny Levanier (26 /03/22) ‘Anti-design: the anti-rule book redefining digital design’. Available at: https://en.99designs.pt/blog/design-history-movements/anti-design/ (Accessed: 6 January 2023). Kate Moran (2017) Brutalism and Antidesign, Nielsen Norman Group. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/brutalism-antidesign/ (Accessed: 26 January 2023). Kavita Khode (2022) Everything to know about the anti-design movement, 9Works. Available at: https://www.9works.co/blog/everything-to-know-about-the-anti-design-movement (Accessed: 26 January 2023). ユトレヒト / Utrecht (no date) Utrecht. Available at: https://utrecht.jp/ (Accessed: 26 January 2023).
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