Does beautiful means powerful?

I recently participated in a conversation where I felt like an outlier once again due to my preference for minimal system graphics. While I’m aware of my not-so-young age and potential biases stemming from a love for minimalism in general, I needed to understand why I have this preference and whether I should reconsider it.

Short answer: hell no, I’m perfect and have all the answers. Who wouldn’t want to bask in the glory of owning the truth, right?

Ok, let’s be a little bit more serious…

╭── Colors

Bright, overly complex, or high-contrast color schemes can become distracting and make it harder to concentrate. On the other hand, using simple, high-contrast colors (such as black text on a white or dark background) ensures readability without overwhelming your senses. A minimalist color scheme allows you to focus on the content, not the environment.

The use of color and typography has been widely studied in terms of how they affect productivity and focus. Research suggests that excessive or overly bright colors can increase stress and cognitive fatigue, while high-contrast color schemes with simple fonts can improve legibility and reduce eye strain, leading to better focus and faster task completion. Many studies show that dark mode or high-contrast interfaces can reduce eye strain and improve focus during prolonged use. This can help users maintain productivity over long hours.

╭── Theme

Themes that include animations, shadows, or gradients can be aesthetically pleasing, but they add visual noise. These effects demand your attention and can lead to cognitive overload, which can reduce productivity. They also require more mental processing to keep track of the environment, which is less conducive to focus.

╭── Icons and window borders

While they help with navigating your workspace, detailed or visually rich icons, along with window borders that include effects, can clutter the interface and distract from your work. They also require more visual attention to distinguish between windows, which can interrupt your workflow.

╭── Visual effects

Animated transitions or window resizing effects can slow down your pace by taking attention away from the task at hand, and might even cause frustration when switching between windows or working with multiple tasks.

Research in visual ergonomics and task-switching suggests that visual clutter—such as excessive icons, borders, or animations—forces the brain to switch between tasks more frequently. This interruption can cause a reduction in productivity due to the time and energy it takes to refocus.

╭── Font formatting

Simple, clean fonts without excessive styling are ideal for productivity. They are easy to read and don’t demand extra cognitive effort. Using bold or italics to highlight important content is also helpful but it’s important to keep the font consistent and readable to avoid distraction.

╭── The grand paradox

If minimalism is more conducive to productivity and focus, then why do modern operating systems and interfaces seem to be pushing all the visual bells and whistles?

It’s almost as if they’re trying to convince us that fluff and eye-candy somehow make us better at work.

The “Aesthetic Appeal” trend

The tech industry has moved into a more consumer-driven world where visual attractiveness plays a huge role in brand identity and user engagement. Effects like glossy/animated transitions are part of a broader marketing strategy to make devices feel more “premium” and visually engaging. People tend to buy into these experiences emotionally, which is why they’re pushing for more visual effects. It’s all about attracting users with a “wow factor”.

There’s also the idea that these flashy designs cater to everyone, not just those concerned with productivity. For people who might be more casual users, visual effects and colorful themes make the OS feel more fun and interactive. There’s some interesting psychology behind this. Subtle animations and visual effects create a feeling of progression or completion, which can make users feel more satisfied as they interact with the system. Every click, scroll, or transition becomes a micro-event, giving a sense of accomplishment. This can actually make people feel more engaged with their tasks, even if it’s just in the form of a small “dopamine hit” from a smooth animation.

User experience

Modern OS interfaces use visual effects to provide users with instant feedback about their actions. For example, animations can subtly guide you through workflows, indicating progress (like a loading bar or smooth window transitions). This can create a more “delightful” experience. The idea is that these little flourishes make the software feel alive and intuitive. It adds a layer of engagement that makes the experience feel more satisfying and rewarding. The visual effects aim to create a sense of quality, that things are polished and well-crafted, making the user feel like they’re using something cutting-edge, even if it’s just faking the brain and unnecessary for pure productivity.

Designing for the wider audience

A lot of these visual effects are targeted toward general users, who are probably more interested in a visually stimulating interface than those focusing on straight-up work. For the average person, someone casually browsing, streaming, or using apps, a more vibrant, interactive environment feels more engaging. As tech becomes more mainstream, design trends that focus on aesthetics tend to carry more weight. So, the flashy, modern designs—complete with effects and bold colors—appeal to a wider audience, which is why they dominate. It’s appeal over utility, where the user experience is geared toward satisfaction and fun rather than pure productivity.

Innovation and evolution of interface design

Tech companies are always competing to be seen as innovative. New visual effects are often marketed as an evolution of the interface—something to show they’re forward-thinking. A static, minimal interface might feel like you’ve “been there, done that”. A more dynamic, colorful interface, on the other hand, shows that the OS is evolving. Innovation is sexy, even when it’s just surface-level.

╭── Conclusion

Overall, the principle of simplicity - removing unnecessary elements - has long been a cornerstone of good design. The overwhelming consensus from cognitive psychology, human-computer interaction, and design research is that a minimalist design, with reduced visual clutter, simple color schemes, and clear typography, enhances work productivity.
Eliminating distractions helps you maintain focus on the task at hand, and contribute to maximizing work productivity. The simplicity and clarity of a setup reduce cognitive load and allow to engage fully with your work. It also keeps the interface clean, allowing to navigate tasks more smoothly.

Cognitive load theory, which originates from Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory (1988), suggests that our working memory has limited capacity. When visual distractions (like complex themes, animations, and excessive decoration) are present, they can increase the cognitive load, making it harder to focus on the task at hand. Research has shown that environments with less clutter and simplified visual elements allow for more mental resources to be dedicated to the primary task, improving performance and concentration.