Appearance

  • sensory percepts relayed by the product

  • most often looks, sometimes sound, touch, smell

  • appearance may not be relevant for functionality or performance

  • it can be an important criterion for users to distinguish "good" from "poor" design

  • sometimes design is used as a synonym for appearance (not in this class)

  • can also be a major challenge for engineers

  • may depend on fashion ("fad")