A recent study by Kurosu and Kashimura (1995) implies that interface aesthetics
may play a greater role in user’s attitudes towards IT than previous studies are willing
to admit. In their study, Kurosu and Kashimura (1995) explored the relationships
between a priori perceptions of the ease of use of an automatic teller machine – which
they termed apparent usability – and other variables. These included factors believed
by HCI professionals to enhance usability, and the aesthetics of the interface.
Interestingly, high relationships were identified between the interface judgments of
aesthetics and apparent usability (r ¼ 0.59). The correlations between the apparent
usability and inherent usability factors were mostly negligible, with the exception of
one variable. It can be argued that they found close relationships between aesthetics
and perceived usability before the actual use, whereas usability should actually be
measured during or after system use. While this argument is valid, it should be noted
that first impressions often influence attitude formation to a large extent. There is no
reason to assume that this cognitive process of attitude formation does not pertain
to the HCI domain. In fact, Hiltz and Johnson (1990) found that users were more likely
to express dissatisfaction with the interface of the system after four months of use if
technologies were perceived initially as difficult to use, users were more likely to
express dissatisfaction with the interface of the system after four months of use. Thus,
it is possible that among the various factors that affect smartphone usability in
particular and smart device acceptability in general, interface aesthetics play a major
role. Aesthetics affect people’s perceptions of apparent usability – which, in turn, may
influence longer term attitudes towards the technologies.