[wintom]

Listen man the best UI and UX comes from not having the stuff get in your way.

Once could argue that the best UI/UX is UI and UX that gets out of your way, that is UI that is none at all. If we could interface with our machines without UI/UX and through some other means like thoughts or electrical impulses that would be the best UI/UX there is.

And anyway, I'm not arguing against research or against UX, I am arguing against the fact that the article is alluding something not true, that design is the gauge of a high tech companies health. The idea that those researchers are finding out anything that a few engineers can't find and iterate over is nonsense.

[sizzle]

I can't argue with your logic because I suspect that there is a fundamental lack of understanding of the field of Human Computer Interaction and User Centered Design.

Please read up on this for a more productive discussion as I'm genuinely not trying to argue with you: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience_design

[dmix]

> Listen man the best UI and UX comes from not having the stuff get in your way.

You should spend some time reading Emotional Design [1].

Only amateurs to design think it is all about usability and minimizing complexity.

The real ROI from a talented designer is a product that creates an emotional connection with the user. Just look at Apple products: people attach their identity to the products - that's how powerful the design of the product can be.

The design (which includes the technical capabilities) can extend beyond just a simple tool providing utility to something which is a memorable pleasant experience - which you want to keep using.

Companies you can achieve the above are the ones who are incredibly successful i n the tech industry. Design is not always obvious - so people easily miss the cause/effect. And achieving it is not all about a flashy gradient or trendy flat design. It's a complex extremely well thought-out user experience. Take a phone's UX for example, from opening the package, to how it's used daily, to the times you need to plug it in while half-asleep next to your bed.

None of that can be summarized as just "getting out of your way", it's about providing the best experience as a result of optimizing the hundreds of small interactions involved in using the product.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/...