From the course: Universal Principles of Design

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Gloss bias

Gloss bias

- [Voiceover] Hi, I'm William Lidwell, and this is the Universal Principles of Design. In this movie, the Gloss Bias, or Why We Take a Shine to Glossy Objects. In 2008, Apple made the controversial decision to stop shipping Macbook Portable Computers with Matte displays. Glossy screens would be the only screens going forward. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, and VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, argued that consumers simply preferred glossy to matte, but many in the Apple community were downright incredulous. How could Apple, a company's story, for their design thinking and leadership, be so mistaken? After all glossy screens can confuse, distract, and strain the eyes with glare and reflection. From a human factors in ergonomics perspective, the matter is open and shut, matte displays are superior. YouTube rants were recorded. Protest articles were written. Petitions were submitted to Apple, all to no avail. Macbook Screens would be glossy, and that was that. How can we explain the seeming…

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