Beautiful but Impractical vs Ugly but Usable Design
This episode is in Finnish. The video below is the original recording; this page provides an English summary for easier reading.
Summary
Annika and Tuomas debate which matters more: visually stunning design or flawless usability. Real examples from analytics dashboards, fashion sites, and job portfolios.
About The Good Side in this episode
Annika and Tuomas are at it again, disagreeing on almost everything. Annika defends visual beauty as a trust signal; Tuomas always prioritises usability. The episode shows how two designers on the same team can approach the same problem from opposite angles and still produce great work together.
Key discussion points
- An ugly product can work perfectly technically, but in B2C markets it signals distrust: users wonder if the company is still in business
- Visual hierarchy is not decoration, it guides the user's attention and is the core of usability
- Adding visual polish to an executive dashboard is a strategic move: good looks soften critical decision-makers
- Pie charts look nice but are practically useless in analytics: users cannot distinguish 25% from 20%
- Mobile buttons should move from the top of the screen to the bottom, because no one's thumb reaches that far without a boomer grip
- Designers are undervalued in salary negotiations despite defining how products work and look
- One episode left before summer break, back in autumn
Questions & answers
- Can a product succeed even if it looks ugly?
- In B2B SaaS, yes, because users are forced to use it regardless. In consumer products, appearance is the first trust signal: if an online store looks outdated, the customer wonders whether their order will even arrive. Context is everything.
- When does visual appeal matter more than usability?
- Fashion brands and art sites intentionally prioritise editorial aesthetics over navigation ease. A visually polished executive report can soften a critical board member. In a design portfolio, strong visuals signal that you can think, not just use tools.
- Should designers be paid more than developers?
- Annika argues yes: visual thinking cannot be trained as easily as coding, and AI tools are democratising code writing. Yet a junior developer may still earn more than a senior designer, which is a real imbalance. There is no clean answer, but the question deserves to be asked.
Topics: beautiful design, usability, visual hierarchy, UX vs UI, design priorities, B2B design, designer salary, The Good Side, Behind the Pixels podcast, Annika Tuominen, Tuomas Kaartoluoma, portfolio design