Consistency
Apple excels in aesthetic and functional consistency. Apple was cleaver when designing their products. From the iPod to the Apple commercials a consistent design is used; the same font, grey and white colours, along with the decipherable Apple logo. This leads users to easily identify Apple products, websites, and programs.
In order for iPod users to active their device they have to download iTunes. For many users Windows Media Player (WMP) was the traditional media program. Upon downloading iTunes former WMP users could easily identify the program functions. iTunes followed the design of WMP by keeping menu options on the left tool bar and leaving the control panel at the bottom of the screen. The authors of the Universal Principals of Design support this type of functional consistency, “The consistent use of these symbols on devices enables people to leverage existing knowledge about how the controls function, which makes the new devices easier to use and learn.”
Cost-Benefit
In regards to iTunes the cost-benefit principal is heavily used The cost of running iTunes is taking the time to download the program. The benefit of downloading the program is the ability to access iTunes for the purpose of downloading and sharing music as well as watching TV shows and movies. An additional cost is transferring music from an alternate program to iTunes. This is a frequent complain amongst iTune users. However, the benefit is the ability to upload music to an iPod. As mentioned in The Universal Principals of Design a cost-benefit analysis can be used in “all aspects of design”. The cost-benefits mentioned latter are only a selection of comparisons that can be made.
Constraint
iTunes limits its functions by hiding the difficult options. The majority of advanced functions are located in the preference window. In order to access the window the user must click on edit in the upper toolbar then proceed to open the preference window. Once in preferences there are a number of options available to users. By limiting the advanced actions the chance of error is reduced.
There are number of psychological constraints within iTunes. For example, iTunes chose a music note as their primary icon. By choosing a universal symbol, such as a music note, iTunes users automatically associate the program with music. For instance, the iTunes symbol, as seen below, influence users to choose iTunes before other musical systems. The symbol is now universally understood as an icon for buying and sharing music, thus, changing how people think of music.
Apple excels in aesthetic and functional consistency. Apple was cleaver when designing their products. From the iPod to the Apple commercials a consistent design is used; the same font, grey and white colours, along with the decipherable Apple logo. This leads users to easily identify Apple products, websites, and programs.
In order for iPod users to active their device they have to download iTunes. For many users Windows Media Player (WMP) was the traditional media program. Upon downloading iTunes former WMP users could easily identify the program functions. iTunes followed the design of WMP by keeping menu options on the left tool bar and leaving the control panel at the bottom of the screen. The authors of the Universal Principals of Design support this type of functional consistency, “The consistent use of these symbols on devices enables people to leverage existing knowledge about how the controls function, which makes the new devices easier to use and learn.”
Cost-Benefit
In regards to iTunes the cost-benefit principal is heavily used The cost of running iTunes is taking the time to download the program. The benefit of downloading the program is the ability to access iTunes for the purpose of downloading and sharing music as well as watching TV shows and movies. An additional cost is transferring music from an alternate program to iTunes. This is a frequent complain amongst iTune users. However, the benefit is the ability to upload music to an iPod. As mentioned in The Universal Principals of Design a cost-benefit analysis can be used in “all aspects of design”. The cost-benefits mentioned latter are only a selection of comparisons that can be made.
Constraint
iTunes limits its functions by hiding the difficult options. The majority of advanced functions are located in the preference window. In order to access the window the user must click on edit in the upper toolbar then proceed to open the preference window. Once in preferences there are a number of options available to users. By limiting the advanced actions the chance of error is reduced.
There are number of psychological constraints within iTunes. For example, iTunes chose a music note as their primary icon. By choosing a universal symbol, such as a music note, iTunes users automatically associate the program with music. For instance, the iTunes symbol, as seen below, influence users to choose iTunes before other musical systems. The symbol is now universally understood as an icon for buying and sharing music, thus, changing how people think of music.
Control
iTunes is an intuitive program. The ideal design reduces control for beginners and leaves room for experienced users continually gain more control. The left bar directs users to music, movies, podcast, and radio tabs. When a user clicks on one of the tabs in the left bar, they are directly connected to the music, movie, or radio tool they wish to operate. This is all that beginners typically need to acquire. iTunes has many additional features. As users get more familiarized with iTunes they have the option to continually gain more control of the features. For instance, a medium-level user can build a playlist by clicking on the arrow at the bottom of the screen and drag songs onto the playlist. An advanced user may share her iTunes publically by accessing their iTunes preferences.
Form Follows Function
The image of Apple results in the belief that the products are of superior quality. The iTunes library is a follower of the form follows function principal. Many designers believe that increased white space results in an aesthetically pleasing design. The iTunes library, following the lead of Apple devices and website, use white space and clean colours to their advantage. When rating the iTunes library in terms of aesthetics it ranks higher then any other media library such as Windows Media Player. Advocates of the descriptive interpretation agree, stating that, “aesthetic considerations in design results from purity of function.” However, the contrasting view would beg to differ, and assess the functional ability of the iTunes library rather then the aesthetic design.
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