The problem with this conversation is that the purpose of visual design is to elicit a desired emotional response from a viewer, and developers are not typically known for their emotional introspection. In fact emotion typically is counterproductive to engineering work. So, when engineers ask for proof that design is worth it, they are asking for a type of first-order proof that they have spent their professional lives moving away from.
That said, here is an example of a study that illustrates why design matters:
> It takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand once they've perused your company's website, according to researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. And it takes just another 2.6 seconds for that viewer's eyes to concentrate in a way that reinforces that first impression.
....
> Study participants were asked to rate sites on the basis of visual appeal and design factors during an average of 20 seconds spent on each of 25 websites. The sections sparking the most interest included:
> Logos: Visitors spent about 6.48 seconds focused on this most identifiable portion of a site.
This study focuses on the time and direction of attention, but the clear implication is that these items are causing an effect in the opinion of the visitor. The role of visual design is to create the desired effect in the desired visitor. For example a financial management company will want to elicit feelings of trust, safety, wealth, security, etc.
Facebook, I would imagine, would like to elicit feelings of belonging, of family and friends, of connecting and even love. But that is just my guess.
Such things happen below the conscious mind. That might sound woo-woo to an engineer, but it happens to us all in everyday life. We trust some people more easily than others. We prefer one brand of candy over another. Some people like broccoli, some hate it. Etc.
That said, here is an example of a study that illustrates why design matters:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223150
> It takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand once they've perused your company's website, according to researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. And it takes just another 2.6 seconds for that viewer's eyes to concentrate in a way that reinforces that first impression.
....
> Study participants were asked to rate sites on the basis of visual appeal and design factors during an average of 20 seconds spent on each of 25 websites. The sections sparking the most interest included:
> Logos: Visitors spent about 6.48 seconds focused on this most identifiable portion of a site.
This study focuses on the time and direction of attention, but the clear implication is that these items are causing an effect in the opinion of the visitor. The role of visual design is to create the desired effect in the desired visitor. For example a financial management company will want to elicit feelings of trust, safety, wealth, security, etc.
Facebook, I would imagine, would like to elicit feelings of belonging, of family and friends, of connecting and even love. But that is just my guess.
Such things happen below the conscious mind. That might sound woo-woo to an engineer, but it happens to us all in everyday life. We trust some people more easily than others. We prefer one brand of candy over another. Some people like broccoli, some hate it. Etc.