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The opening statement of this paper refers to theoretical notions from architecture, the oldest
design discipline. The idea that architecture can serve as a reference discipline for MIS is not new
(e.g., Lee, 1991), but it is quite surprising to note how little of an impact architectural theory has
made on IT research. A study by Kim et al. (2002) demonstrates the viability of this research direc-
tion in explaining online customer satisfaction and loyalty by the three Vitruvian principles. Clearly,
IT research can benefit considerably from judicious use of theories in architecture and its sub-
disciplines (e.g., urban and landscape planning).
To improve our understanding of the role of aesthetics in IT, we should identify relevant constructs
and dimensions. This can be done both empirically and conceptually. For example, Lavie and
Tractinsky (2004) have empirically identified two aesthetic dimensions in the context of Web pages.
The improved resolution (two aesthetic constructs instead of one) helped explain the results of pre-
vious studies that found high correlations between aesthetics and usability. In contrast to this bottom-
up process, IT researchers may conceptually identify new constructs based on their own work or on
work that has been done in other areas of aesthetic research. An example for the former is the work
of Hassenzahl (2004a), who, based on his own model of the user experience (Hassenzahl, 2003),
found that certain hedonic attributes affect perceptions of both beauty and goodness of a system.
As an example of the latter type of work, consider the conceptual typology suggested by Hermeren
(1988). The typology distinguishes between five aesthetic qualities: emotion qualities, behavior qual-
ities, gestalt qualities, taste qualities, and reaction qualities. Future studies can examine aesthetics in
IT from each of these five perspectives. A similar approach is offered by Löwgren (2006), who pro-
poses five general clusters comprised of nineteen qualities of user experience of digital designs. Some
of these qualities are directly related to visual aesthetics (e.g., elegance, identity, and seductivity).
Aesthetic considerations should eventually be translated into actual blueprints for design activ-
ities. This will not be easy. Organizations have invested much effort to transform design activities
to accommodate
firmitas
and
utilitas
requirements. Methods and techniques to advance user-
centered design have been proposed, but attempts to integrate them into mainstream development
methodologies in industrial settings have met with only limited success (Stewart, 2003). Many
still mistakenly treat interaction design as an afterthought and appropriately adding
venustas
to
the mix will not be trivial.
Finally, let us consider a role reversal. Until now, we have mostly discussed how aesthetic con-
cepts influence IT-related phenomena. Perhaps it is time to consider the opportunity provided by
IT for the study of aesthetics. Despite being concerned with issues of beauty and aesthetics for so
long, our scientific understanding of them and of their influence on humans remains very modest.
However, IT's capability to manipulate and communicate designs and to collect data of various
types can serve as a valuable research tool in the study of aesthetics per se
.
The inherent power of
IT as a research tool and the fact that many real-world aesthetic designs are today based on IT cre-
ate an opportunity for studies that are both ecologically valid and well controlled. IT's unique
characteristics can facilitate the integration of both the experimentalist and the exploratory
schools of research noted earlier in this section. IT can facilitate the manipulation of aesthetic
stimuli, the transmission of the designs, the collection of data over the Internet, and the recording
of various implicit measures (Cela-Conde et al., 2004; Tractinsky et al., 2004) that would help in
gaining new insights about the aesthetic experience.
CONCLUSION
The study of aesthetics is “uncomfortable (to the scientist)” (Maslow, 1954, p. 97) and “fraught
with difficulties” (Norman, 2004b, p. 316). Still, it has always been an exciting research area.
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