# Rewrite of [[the aesthetics of design]] abstract It is easy to think of examples of noticeably bad design: capsule coffee machines which make it difficult to remove used capsules, mobile phones made from slippery materials are easy to fumble or drop. Despite being harder to notice, it is still possible to find examples of invisible good design. Reviewers of consumer electronics might refer to a computer operating system as well-designed if performing tasks within it is easy. But it is harder to understand how we can use vision-based approaches to appreciation when it comes to [[invisible design]]. My [[positive account]] has two parts to it. First I drawn on Nguyen’s (2020) suggestion that we are able to aesthetically appreciate our own actions. An observer will be able to appreciate the gracefulness of a dancer’s movements but the dancer himself, according to Nguyen, will be able to appreciate the grace of his actions as he is performing them. This can be thought of as a compliment to Saito calls the “action-oriented, rather than contemplation-oriented, dimension of [[everyday aesthetics]]” (2007). We might say, then, that objects with good [[invisible design]] all for aesthetically [[pleasing actions]]. But how should this be understood? When considering how we appreciate objects with invisible good design, one perspective is similar to how we appreciate objects. [[This view]] splits into two philosophical stances: realism and subjectivism. Realism argues that [[aesthetic properties]] are intrinsic qualities of objects. Subjectivism, on the other hand, suggests that [[aesthetic properties]] are based on individual responses to these objects. However, it is not obvious that either of these views can be transferred to the [[aesthetic appreciation]] of actions. Can we make sense of [[the idea]] that (at least some) actions have intrinsic aesthetic qualities? Or that we, adopting a subjectivist view, appreciate actions based on our individual responses? While neither of these possibilities is a non-starter, showing how they can be made to work is not without its challenges. Another possibility would be to say that [[easy actions]] are aesthetically pleasing and difficult ones aesthetically displeasing. If this were correct then good [[invisible design]] would facilitate [[easy actions]]. The difficulty with this proposal is that there seem clear examples of objects allowing for [[easy actions]] that we do not think of as aesthetically pleasing, such as pressing a button to call a lift, or using a door-handle to open a door. We suggest that a more promising approach is to draw on Dreyfus’ concept of _skillful coping_, that is, the idea that skilful action is not a matter of consciously thinking about how to move one's body. Rather, what separates an expert pianist from the novice in playing the piano is that the expert can intuitively respond to the musical possibilities that the piano and the current piece present them with. An object with good invisible design is one that facilitates this sense of mastery. That is, by making the path from novice to expert easy to traverse. A good example of this would be Apple's attempts to make using its mobile phones as intuitive as possible, thereby flattening the learning curve for new users as much as possible. In contrast, objects which do not exhibit good invisible design do not make users feel like they are skilfully coping. For instance, using a poorly designed computer keyboard, or navigating a website that is badly laid out, makes one's actions laborious and unintuitive, requiring a heavy reliance on conscious thought. ** 1 Dreyfus (Drawing on Heidegger) Skillful coping involves immersed, seamless activity driven by intuitive bodily responses to perceived affordances in a situation. With experience, experts respond to situations intuitively without rules. ** From Novice to Expert Expertise: Absorbed, holistic mastery ** 2. Beauty in Use: A well-designed object can be aesthetically pleasing to use Well-designed objects elicit skillful, intuitive interactions from the user.  Users feel like they are exercising mastery ** 3. # Thought on a proposal for idea or a project #thought The philosophy of personal technology