Focus too much on design over usage and form can destroy function. There’s no denying, this LED clock design is definitely slick looking.

But, is the basic function of the clock—you know, to tell time—actually lost in the design? Can you tell what time it is at least as well, or preferably better, than a traditional clock? Or, do you have to think harder to get there? Good design is seamless, unnoticed, natural. It makes the information you are trying to get at all the more available without the audience even noticing that it’s being presented in a different way.

Don’t make it harder for your audience to absorb the information you want/they need to get. Regardless of how flashy the design is, your audience will not stick around to figure out how to use it in order to get the information they are looking for. Beyond the initial ‘wow’ factor, a design that hinders usability will garner more negative attention (if any attention!) than positive reaction. The most enduring products and experiences strive to blend aesthetics with purpose.