Question (1)
In your own words, write a summary of the article and provide critical analysis/discussion on the topic of the article.
Consistency is a design principle that is used every day with most people unaware of its impact and importance in everyday life. Consistency is the principle that familiar designs create a more efficient usage, as a familiar design that incorporates the same features across different products facilitates the learning and usability of that design feature. An example would be the power on buttons logo that you see on various electronics, as we have all come to know its meaning and usage which enables designers to facilitate that conceptual meaning across different mediums. Consistency encompasses four kinds of consistency, aesthetic, functional, internal and external consistency. According to DiMarco (2011) aesthetic consistency refers to style and appearance, while functional consistency yields coherency and action. Functional consistency can be put, that if your audience is accustomed to certain conventions it would make sense to keep or adopt those same conventions in order to help people feel comfortable and well served. Internal consistency is having the same internal designs throughout your design in order to facilitate an ease of use and comfort as more people use your design, the more they come to rely on these designs unchanging during their interactions, so that a logical sequence of events become the basis of their interaction (Schlatter, Levinson, 2013). A good example of consistency at work is with Apple and their iPad product, the iPad has the same look across all its models and which has defined the shape of personal tablet in their appearance (Macari, 2012) which can be argued as aesthetic and external consistency. Apple has gone so far as to attempt in obtaining a patent on the rectangle shape with curved edges, as representing Apple and the iPad as a whole. The iPad has the same operating system across all models with similar function buttons and digital interfaces, this creates internal and functional consistency (Cole, 2012).
Question 2.
Study 3 examples that meet the principle of consistency. Provide a reasoned explanation for each example why they meet the design.
(Image Xbox One, Microsoft Corporation 2016)
The Xbox console system as shown keeps to a consistent design of both aesthetic, functional and external consistency. I have never opened one up internally but I would imagine that it follows some sort of engineering internal consistency. Aesthetically the Xbox keeps to the similar console shape across generations and has always retained the X emblem on the console and on the controller centre top. Functionally the controller has remained the same shape with the same general layout of controls and input buttons, which have remained the same due to the principal of functionality and external consistency. This consistency across Xbox console generations enables the purchase of the console by customers who may not want to retain themselves in utilising a different controller, maintains an emotional connection and keeps external consistency.
(McDonald’s logo 2014)
The McDonalds logo has always remained unchanged in representing it product of fast-food with the Golden arches, the arches have always maintained a presence across generations of rebranding attempts by McDonalds, maintaining external consistency. The combination of yellow, red and white have always been maintained in the logo, with various attempts over the years by McDonalds to increase customers by reinventing the logo into an aesthetically pleasing symbol while maintaining those same colours and the golden arches. Internally the company sells the exact same menu barring regional additions and the same food is prepared the exact same way the world over in an attempt to maintain internal consistency of its fast food.
The emergency exit sign, by law must retain external and functional consistency in order for everyone to understand its purpose for health, safety and emergency management reasons. The emergency exit sign by law must maintain internal consistency across government and private sectors, with the aesthetics of a green light with the symbol of the man heading through a door with the arrow pointing towards it also apart of this law.
( Image of Emergency Exit, Electrosafe 2009)
References
DiMarco, J. (2010;2011;). Digital Design for Print and Web: An Introduction to Theory, Principles, and Techniques (1. Aufl.;1; ed.). Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.
Schlatter, T., Levinson, D. A. (2013). Visual Usability: Principles and Practices for Designing Digital Applications. Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers is an imprint of Elsevier.
Macari, M. (2012). Apple Finally gets Its Patent on a Rectangle with Rounded Corners. The Verge. Retrieved 28th May 2016 from,http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/7/3614506/apple-patents-rectangle-with-rounded-corners
Cole, D. (2012). Why is Consistency Important in Design.Slate.com. Retrieved 28th May 2016 from, http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2012/12/24/why_is_consistency_important_in_design.html
Image Xbox One, Microsoft Corporation 2016. Retrieved 28th May 2016 from http://www.xbox.com/en-AU
McDonalds logo 2014. Retrieved 28th May 2016 from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RqYB17wDo-g/UYy9LpAtV_I/AAAAAAAAADU/EudLH7974p0/s1600/Mcdonalds-Logo-HD-Wallpaper.jpg
Image of emergency exit, Electrosafe 2009. Retrieved 28th may 2016 from http://www.electrosafe.com.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/images/emergency-EXIT.jpg
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