Have you ever found yourself struggling with something that you know should be easy to use, and you ask yourself, “Why in the world do I even bother with this junk in the first place?” As a website developer, I have taken an interest in User Experience Design, and the habits of people that use them. One thing that has always intrigued me is why people subject themselves to poorly designed and built websites when other more well-developed options are available. In other words, why do Bad Designs work?

History is replete with example after example of people overcoming bad experiences. Whether we are talking about inventors like Alexander Graham Bell, or civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks, bad experiences are the mother of innovation.

In a world that is advancing rapidly in technology and innovation, it is still amazing that people willingly continue to use a bad product even though there are better solutions available. As a case in point, a friend of mine owns and uses a software that has been abandoned by its developers for over 5 years. Not only has this software been defunct, it has been replaced and improved upon to enhance usability, productivity and quality. The price is still very reasonable, but still he will not change. But this is just one example. You can easily apply the same attributes to places we visit, people we associate with, tools we use, and cars we drive. For some reason, we continually find ourselves using Bad things even though they cause us grief. So, Why does Bad Design work?

People are Stubborn

First of all, you have to recognize that people, in general, are stubborn. We use things that we hate to use, and buy things that we hate to have to buy, and visit websites that frustrate us to no end, because we are stubborn. We want to make things work, even though they aren’t designed to work. Hate them as we do, we continue to buck common sense and use, visit, and buy these things in spite of the better options. Bad Design works because we are stubborn.

People are Ignorant

Well, that is certainly a sweeping generalization, but in reality we cannot experience what we do not know. Often, Bad Design works because we aren’t aware there are other options available. Despite all of the shortcomings of the Internet service provider, AOL, people still use them because they are ignorant of their other options. For example, my aunt recently upgraded her Internet to 9.0. Did you catch that? She didn’t upgrade her AOL software, she upgraded her Internet… so she thinks. See, though she hates the advertisements that bombard her while online, and she hates the dropped connections, and she hates the busy signals, she persists to use AOL, because she thinks AOL IS the Internet. Bad Design works because we are ignorant.

People Love Rewards

I think I speak for the whole of mankind when I say that we love to be rewarded. Whether it is a pat on the back, or a hot slice of apple pie ala mode, or a great feeling inside, or whatever… I love rewards. Many people suffer through bad experiences because of the reward at the end. We work 40 plus hours because of the paycheck. People exercise because they feel good and their pants fit better. Though there are so many negative affects people suffer from things like recreational drugs, smoking, and alcohol, they subject themselves to the negative aspects because of the rewards. People use poorly designed and executed websites for similar reasons… because of the rewards they gain.

For example, let’s say a person visits a website to purchase movie tickets, but the interface is confusing and difficult to use. There is no search feature, and the movie times are not organized logically. The site requires registration as a member, when they don’t want to become a member… they just want to purchase a ticket. The form fields are confusing, and when they submit the form with errors, they are taken to a new page and forced to re-enter all of their information again. After trial and error, they finally figure out how to get what they need and complete the sale. The reward? Their tickets.

The rewards can be news content, video feeds, conversations, products, or various other tangibles. People get used to sacrificing a desireable experience for the greater good. People love rewards.

Conclusion

While it could never be argued that Bad Design is better than a well thought out and implemented User Experience, it is certainly true that Bad Design can work. As developers, we stand to gain measures in customers, user satisfaction, revenue and more by countering Bad Design. We can do this by educating people, streamlining the user experience, and clearing the way to the rewards they seek. Bad Design can work, but it doesn’t have to.