The Role of Aesthetics in

Computer Engineering

A Case Study

Introduction

Modern world’s innovative ideas all started from a single imagination.

Introduction

Today’s century is the Age of Information and technology plays a critical part in determining the golden times of the era. Computers were created to ease life, to color it at the least.

Introduction

The problem with today’s education is not realizing the importance of Aesthetics in the curriculum, especially the course of Engineering.

Introduction

The aim of the researchers is to determine the main purpose of Aesthetics in the field of Computer Engineering.

Main Objectives

To formulate the function of Aesthetics in Hardware Engineering.

To develop the concepts supporting Programming and Software Engineering with relation to Aesthetics.

To identify the significance of Aesthetics to Hardware-Software Integration.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is the theory of the perceptibility, appreciation, responsiveness, and enjoyment of the beautiful in art and nature (Cometa, Aquino and Santillana, n.d.).

Aesthetics

Welsch (2003) summarized in his paper that aesthetics is considered as ‘artistics’, as an explication of art with particular attention to beauty.

Aesthetics

It is the judgment of taste to cast out what is beautiful.

Aesthetics in Engineering

It is only important that the researchers determine the significance of Aesthetics in the field of engineering as a whole so as to determine the extents of Aesthetics in the sub-fields of engineering. As stated:

Engineering involvement with aesthetics is vital for the creation of innovative and successful products in today’s fast changing world. (Faste, 1995)

Aesthetics in Engineering

With today’s world bringing innovations that would not just suffice human needs but also their taste, it is just important to consider Aesthetics in the field of Engineering.

Computer Engineering

TryEngineering (n.d.) has specified the tasks accomplished by a computer engineer. It stated that computer engineers analyze and evaluate computer systems, both hardware and software.

Computer Engineering

Researchers have deducted that Computer Engineering is divided into three major fields: Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering and Hardware-Software Integration.

Hardware Engineering

Hardware engineering tackles the design and functionality of the hardware devices and how they will be properly built to be able to perform functions connected to software

Hardware Engineering and Aesthetics

The job of the computer engineers is to ensure that their products are well-defined with their features. Design complements that of aesthetic value of a product for this is what affects the taste of a human being.

Software Engineering

Software engineering concerns itself to the programming of a system.

Software Engineering and Aesthetics

As discussed in the design of hardware engineering, humans will tend to use programs that will be elegant in their graphic user interface. It is already a norm in the human mind to utilize things that are perceived to be beautiful in their own tastes.

Hardware-Software Integration

Hardware-software integration is the proper connection of the hardware and the software.

Company Profile

The interviewee of the researchers for the conduct of the case study is Engr. Mario Andal, Systems Administrator of the Information Technology Center (ITC) of the University of Batangas.

Role of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering

Computer engineering, as defined by the interviewee, is “the combination of computer science and electrical engineering, both are needed to create software and hardware. Computer Engineering is involved from designing Microprocessors to circuit design. This field of engineering not only focuses on how computer systems themselves work, but also how they integrate into the larger picture.”

Role of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering

“Aesthetics is really important in any software or hardware products, because the user will enjoy doing his work or job just by looking at the thing he/she is using, [utilizing] beauty [for satisfaction].”

Role of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering

“Developing software [or] programs must be eye-catching.”

Role of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering

“We choose the vendor that has products with high standards and high quality.”

Role of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering

“It (Aesthetics) is important [for] us Computer Engineers. It makes our life colorful, [and it allows us to do] what [is] best, and that is computer engineering.”

Synthesis

Computer engineering has been defined as an analysis of computer systems both hardware and software. While the interviewee related the field with Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, it can be deemed that computer engineering covers hardware, as the concern of Electrical Engineering, and software, as the concern of Computer Science.

Synthesis

It was earlier defined that Aesthetics is the philosophy of art and beauty, or the philosophy of art and the aesthetic. Thus, the case study was centered on how beauty affected the practice of computer engineering.

Synthesis

The interview has stressed out that the design of the hardware devices affect greatly the level of satisfaction of the users to the extent that he will have to choose sellers that produce high-quality raw materials to produce high-quality products.

Synthesis

The quality of the raw materials to be used was highly emphasized by the interviewee as it was pointed out in Chapter II. Before computer engineers can build any product, they must first assure that the raw materials to be used are evaluated properly and ensured that they will function.

Synthesis

Both literature presented concerning software engineering and interviewee’s point of view regarding the application of Aesthetics in software engineering pertained to how the users would satisfactorily respond to the developed software to the extent that will it be user-friendly enough or not.

Synthesis

The elegance of the program could critically determine the functionality of the software itself as discussed in the previous chapters.

Synthesis

The researchers have assumed that the hardware-software integration cannot create the significance of Aesthetics in Computer Engineering for its concepts are purely theoretical and scientific that the researchers limited it to how the software and hardware were individually made to create aesthetic impacts to the users or consumers.

Synthesis

The researchers have obtained results centered on how the users will respond to the products constructed for it is only through there that Aesthetics can be clearly seen with effects and functions.

Conclusion

From the data gathered and analyzed, the researchers have formulated the following conclusions:

Conclusion

1. In hardware engineering, Aesthetics pose significance to the creation of the hardware devices with the user’s level of satisfaction of the hardware and the utility of the product.

Conclusion

2. In software engineering, the programs developed are created for the users to efficiently maximize its use. Aesthetics enters the scene with the graphical user interface affecting the user-friendliness of the program and how the users will be satisfied with programs developed.

Conclusion

3. Computer engineering utilizes aesthetic judgment to create end-products that would suffice the taste of the users and the level of satisfaction of the users.

Conclusion

4. With the vague definition of Aesthetics defined in the previous, the aesthetic value and judgment of taste greatly affect the decision of the users to appreciate those produced by the Computer Engineers. It is through there that Aesthetic greatly defines the art in Computer Engineering. The role of Aesthetics is to ensure that the products will cognitively and intuitively satisfy the users of the software and hardware devices.