Looks aren’t everything when it comes to real-world design

Not long ago, I was wrapping up a design review with a client when a stakeholder asked, “Can we make it look better, it's kinda boring?”

It wasn’t a rude question. More of a sincere reaction. The flow we were looking at worked, it tested well, it solved the problem. But it wasn’t flashy or "poppy," it didn’t look like something from a design award site. It just… functioned.

And that’s exactly what made it good UX.

There’s a persistent assumption ... especially among stakeholders who aren’t close to the work—that great UX should also look great. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, great UX is invisible. Sometimes, it’s downright plain. And sometimes, the right solution doesn’t win beauty contests, it just quietly helps people get things done.

Beauty is subjective. Usability isn’t.

As someone that went to art school and took all of your classic art courses, you come to learn that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." What’s “beautiful” depends entirely on who you’re asking. Designers might fall in love with minimalism and whitespace. A sales team might want bold calls to action and animated charts. But users? Users want to complete their task ... that’s it ... that’s the whole thing.

Consider healthcare portals, enterprise dashboards, or financial tools. They’re not often praised for their looks. But if you’ve ever tried to file insurance paperwork online or manage a massive product catalog, you know what matters most: clarity, consistency, and speed. These systems don’t have to be pretty, they have to work. That said, there's always room to elevate the design but make sure that UX continues to feel invisible.

Clarity beats cleverness ... every time.

Years ago, I worked on a product where we originally proposed a sleek, modern card layout with fancy transitions and dynamic content, it looked great. But in testing, people didn’t know what to tap. They got confused. The layout, while cool, didn’t map to their expectations. So we replaced it with a stripped-down list view. Boring? Yes haha, but it improved engagement and usability.

Sometimes the best solution looks like the least imaginative one. That doesn't mean that design failed, it means it's doing its job!

Constraints are real, and they shape the outcome.

In theory, we can design anything. In practice, we’re working within walls, legacy systems, performance budgets, accessibility standards, stakeholder politics, brand, marketing, etc. All of it shapes what “good” looks like.

A highly visual design with tons of interaction might feel cutting-edge in a prototype, but fall apart when you add real content. The design might look amazing on your MacBook Pro and unreadable on a hospital’s ancient desktop monitor. Or maybe your clever animation tanks your mobile page speed. Suddenly the “ugly” version that loads instantly starts looking a lot smarter.

Delight isn’t always visual

Some of the best UX I’ve ever experienced didn’t impress me visually, it wasn't flashy or "new." It just made things easier in such a simple way that left me in a moment of "wow." So think of something like... A well-written error message that actually helps. A smart form that pre-fills data (Apple's keyboard with the sms code autofill). Or perhaps a subtle animation that guides your focus throughout the flow or page. These are quiet details, not always design showcase material, but they build trust and reduce friction.

Let's be honest here, we want to build something that works so perfectly that frankly you don't even notice it. That get's the chef's kiss!

You might have to defend the boring solution

This is where it gets tricky sometimes. Designers often have to stand up for decisions that look underwhelming on the surface. You might find yourself justifying why you didn’t go with the shinier direction, something heavy on the brand, or that will show well in marketing. You’ll need to explain that clarity was more important than creativity, and the user's needs come first.

That said, more often than not, if you have the data to show that the "boring" solution is more useful and impactful, these conversations are easy.

Good UX earns trust ... Quietly.

That’s the irony, we are creative people, we LOVE design. We want to make something that looks great and shows off our skills. But sometimes, good UX isn’t for show. It’s not for Dribbble or Behance (don't get me started on Dribbble's negative impact on the industry). It’s for the person on a slow connection trying to book a doctor’s appointment before their lunch break ends. Or the team trying to onboard a new hire without clicking through 14 different screens to assign them to a team.

Form should still follow function.

But function doesn’t mean ugly ... it means:

• Appropriate
• Helpful
• “I didn't even notice it, because it just worked..."

And maybe that’s the highest compliment of all.

I'd love to hear about your thoughts, connect with me on LinkedIn and let's chat.

Until the next volume, thanks for joining me. 
Andrew Preble