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Hey Google!

Recently I stumbled upon a post on Facebook by Pankaj Kumar asking, “Why Google Why?” With the heading “What happens when designers prioritize aesthetics over usability?” It shows the original design icons of Google with the new designs and what we see.


So, what is usability and why is it crucial in design interface? Usability focuses on the users’ needs, wants and capabilities. When designing interface, the perspective of the intended users should be considered. The cognitive and physiological constraints of the users must be taken into account. Users need to be defined by these characteristics: age, gender, civil status, profession, intelligence and behavior. In order to get this information, an Empathy Map was developed as a framework to improve customer experience and design better work environments and a host of other things. The central feature of this framework is on the “Think and Feel” of the users. To emphasize on the difference between observable phenomena and those that are implicit which are the thoughts and feelings or latent needs.

After profiling the users, the next steps are to ask these questions?

  1. Is my new design easy to use?

  2. Is it more efficient?

  3. Will it be easy to recover from errors?

  4. Is it easy to remember?

If the answers to these questions is yes, then you are on the right track. A well design icon is more than just aesthetics. It should be easy to understand and navigate. In order to meet your users’ needs, the end goal is for them to complete the task. Therefore, usability testing is vital before rolling out a new design.


The designers should not only consider their client, in this case Google, but also the end users. Usability design’s mission should be to increase productivity, profitability, reduce costs, and increase satisfaction. Doing usability testing will strike a balance between clients and users’ needs and wants.

There are also published guidelines and even International Standards and Organizations (ISO) has come up with standards on user experience design. ISO 9241 and ISO/TR 16982:2002 provides the information standards on human centered usability procedures that are recommended for product design and evaluation.


Anyway, enough of the technical terms. In summary, usability should focus on the users’ needs and wants. Involve them in the usability testing and modify your design based on their feedbacks. So that they can perform their tasks safely, efficiently and effectively in a pleasurable way.



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