Usability and Branding, Sitting in a Tree

In a recent post by D. Keith Robinson , he talks about an article at digital-web.com called, End of Usability Culture . The article itself is a very good read, but Keith threw out another small thought-provoker, saying that there must be a “sweet-spot” between usability and branding, and that we need to find it.

In my mind that sweet spot is, for lack of a better term, “likability”.

As I posted over at Keith’s site…

”…If a company’s product, whether it’s a website or a kitchen utensil, does not give the user a good experience, it affects the perception given to that brand. That’s why our designs should convey a mood or emotion to our visitors.”

It has long been known that good design sets the initial tone for the user experience at a website… and even physical products as well. Not only does it set the tone, but it embeds a user’s impression of the company as well. This is what branding is all about. But even a good graphical design and layout are feeble if the usability destroys the user’s experience.

Branding and usability truly must work hand-in-hand. I would dare even say that usability falls nicely under the banner of branding.

This is not a new concep, although it may just finally be coming into common knowledge on the web. But I recall learning about this very simple marketing concept years ago in school.

At any rate, I’m looking forward to seeing how this idea impacts the world of web design and development.