Every now and again, I hear someone say something like “no Emmanuel, the site doesn’t need to look good, it just needs to be easy to use”. I have seen very few sites that are, probably, able to get away with such a crime – top on my list, ironically is usability guru Jakob Nielsen’s Useit.com (you’re still the best, J).

People who say this lose sight of the fact that a Web site really is a piece of marketing tool (a big, online display ad, if you like). In this Web 2.0 age of savvy users, people (users) do judge the book by its cover. When someone lands on a site’s home page for the first time, they form their initial impression by the general look and feel. Even though they are not looking, yet they see images, colours, and in many cases are subconsciously already beginning to decide whether they want to be here or not.

These days, branding is one of the key contributing factors to customer loyalty, and indeed user loyalty. I once worked for an employer who had strong, fantastic, sticky and aesthetically pleasing offline brand experiences. It was (and is still) hugely successful in this regard. However, this organisation has a disparately (un)branded Web site, and you couldn’t help but feel a disconnect between its physical and virtual presences.

The thing about visual design & ease of use is that they go hand-in-hand. It can be dangerous to have one without the other. It’s the right mix of stimulation for the left brain (logic) and the right brain (art).

I believe that serving pages and experiences that are readable and usable needs to be made easier by being easy on the eyes, which in turn becomes appealing to the senses. Even though the user is not looking for these things, they do notice when they are missing. Taking a cue from product design, and the iPhone in particular: Sleek + Usable = Loved by user. For the same reasons why ads are meant to be appealing in their visual presentation – so are web experiences. A compelling design can be key to turning an easy user experience to a memorable one. Underline memorable – it creates stickiness, and keeps the user coming back.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveils Windows Phone 7

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, today,  unveiled the company’s new and widely anticipated Windows Phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It is now official – Microsoft is ditching the name “Windows Mobile”. Henceforth, the mobile OS will be refered to as “Windows Phone 7 series”.

The first handsets to run Windows Phone will launch before the 2010 Holiday season, and may include manufacturer partners such as LG, Samsung, HP, Sony Ericsson and Dell, among others. Microsoft has hooked up the Xbox LIVE to the Windows Phone for mobile gaming, while Windows Phone fronts the Zune brand as media player for audio-visual entertainment content. “For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone”, Microsoft said in  a statement.

Earlier today, and just a couple of hours before the official reveal,  images of the software’s user interface leaked, and was published on many blogs and news Web sites.

The video below showcases some of Windows Phone 7’s features: