How Form and Function Play into the Rise of Good Design

Whether it's a building, logo, website, or software, good design is easy to recognize. Most people may not realize that good design has just as much to do with how something works as it does with how something looks.

Let's face it: if you buy something to perform a function, you want it to perform well. If it doesn't, you're probably going to stop using it or ask for your money back, no matter how good it looks. However, if you hate the way a product looks, you're less likely to buy it in the first place.

When it comes to software design, these principles are no different. Thankfully, basic design principles can be translated regardless of the field. One basic principle of good design is form follows function. It's interesting how this modernist design principle can work for software development.

How Design Differs from Art

Furniture designer Charles Eames once said, "Design is an expression of the purpose, and it may (if it is good enough) later be judged as art; design depends largely on constraints and it is a method of action (there are always constraints and these usually include ethic)." According to Eames, what is the difference between design and art?

The main distinction is that design must have a purpose. Art can have no other reason for existing other than to be to viewed or otherwise experienced. However, design requires a function. If the design is visually striking, then it may also be considered art. Of course art and design overlap, but without function (design), it's just form (art).

From the birth of good design standards came the idea that form follows function. In 1896, architect Louis Sullivan coined the phrase in a print interview about skyscrapers. Sullivan believed the modern city needed a new form of building. That form would become the "modern structural steel skyscraper."

It's clear that Sullivan saw a purpose for this new urban structure the same way modern software designers see a need for new programs and tools. It's in this way that form follows function has roots in classical design, but applies to the technology industries, too. When you dig a little deeper into modernist movements, you'll see there are even more connections between modernist principles and software design.

How Function Becomes Form

Sullivan's principle has influenced good design for over a century, but the influence of his words was felt almost immediately. Modernism became the standard in art and design in the early 20th century, and out of that grew the Bauhaus movement.

This ethos has several major principles of good design, and one of them is form follows function. Some of the other tenets include: acknowledge the machine, standardize production, encourage experimentation and synthesis, and use economy and simplicity. Incidentally, these tenets can also be viewed from the perspective of software development.

Clearly, acknowledging the machine makes perfect sense for software designers. Every good design in software development takes into account the limitations of the hardware, and how the two complement each other. Also, standardized production can apply not only to features and interface, but also user experience. Your product should produce a standard user experience that can be replicated during every session.

In addition, experimentation and synthesis have become the norm for software development teams because that's how good design often emerges. Lastly, economy and simplicity are always part of good design in software, because users aren't interested in software that is clunky and complicated.

If you take a closer look, these guidelines for creating adequate functionality also lend to aesthetic appeal. Economy and simplicity, for example, are great things to keep in mind when creating a visual design. In fact, visual economy is a well known concept that has influenced some truly great minimalist software design.

Software designers are even warned about creating something too cluttered. This is referred to as feature creep. Feature creep impacts a good design. If the features are overwhelming, the visual design will be, too.

Form and Function in the Tech Industry

There's actually an entire movement dedicated to minimalism in software design. These designers follow the principles of minimalism in developing both the visual and functional aspects of the application. Following minimalist philosophies can prevent problems like software bloat, where the application runs slowly because it uses too much processing power.

Software bloat is going to impact the visual design, making it difficult to navigate the menus, screens, and options. When you consider the impact of software bloat on the visual design, it's obvious that function and form are inextricably linked in software development.

Function and form are so heavily linked in the tech industry that you can find examples of it in every genre of software application development. More creative fields, like game development, have examples of game designs that have embraced minimalist principles. Some of the most interesting games come out of minimalist concepts.

The popular title Mirror's Edge exemplified minimalist design and development principles to create extremely fun and simple gameplay. The game resonated well with audiences and developers alike, and won several awards at yearly ceremonies, including the Annual Interactive Achievement Award. Mirror's Edge happened to perfectly blend these concepts to create a visually stunning and well-made game.

In all areas of software development, standardizing the user experience is part of best practices and is achieved through prototyping and testing. Without even knowing it, developers are already utilizing the form follows function philosophy. Planning and development processes like design sprints use prototyping and testing heavily.

Test groups are asked to rate both form and function, and this data is used to rate the prototype. If the group rates it highly enough, the prototype goes into development.

Software and Good Design

Good software design keeps in mind that both form and function are integral to creating a great product. One shouldn't be more important than the other, and if your product is near perfect, it will embody the form follows function motto. Instead of being just something that works great, it will be something that works well and looks impressive as well. Of course, visual appeal does play a significant role in whether users will engage with your product.

In a study conducted by Google, users made up their minds about a design in only 17 minutes. The outcome of this study provides great evidence to suggest that websites with "low visual complexity" tested better with users. That means functionality relies heavily on visual economy. This can lead software developers to believe the same is true for their products.

Function and form are always interconnected. In every good design, there's a balance between both. Largely, products without this excellent balance don't live up to user expectations and fall flat in the marketplace.

Windows Vista is a great example of a situation like this. The overly hyped operating system was supposed to have an improved visual design, but came with safety features that were at best annoying and at worst unbearable. Unfortunately, Vista did not live up to user expectations, and users complained that they lost some of the functionality they always liked about Windows. Even worse, most users felt Windows didn't even change much about how the software looked. Overall, the functionality didn't take a distinct form, and in end, form and function failed.

Striking the Perfect Balance

Software developers that don't strike a perfect balance between form and function can pay a big price. First, they can lose a long standing audience. Vista discontinued use of some of Windows' most popular programs, like Movie Maker. Removing this application took a function away from users, rendering the software useless to some. This flub and others like it in the Vista OS have made some elect it as the worst operating system of all time.

The next time you're trying to come up with a good design, remember that form and function have been interconnected for longer than software development has been around. It might sound overly complex, but minimalism relies on a few basic principles, most of which many software designers already utilize.

Try out the principles for achieving a balance between form and function on a new or existing project. See what problems they can solve, and what gaps they can fill. When all else fails, just think of this inspiring quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Proto.io lets anyone build mobile app prototypes that feel real. No coding or design skills required. Bring your ideas to life quickly! Sign up for a free 15-day trial of Proto.io today and get started on your next mobile app design.

Source: How Form and Function Play into the Rise of Good Design

The Changing Face of Web to Print

Commentary & Analysis

It's been more than two decades since the first flurry of web-to-print solutions hit the market in the midst of the 1990's dot-com boom, and these solutions have continued to evolve. Today, the next generation of web-to-print solutions are gaining steam as pure-play cloud-based solutions that provide the Uber- or Amazon-like experience consumers expect today. Senior Editor Cary Sherburne delves into experiences of forward-looking firms who have adopted these next-generation solutions.

By Cary SherburnePublished: March 14, 2017

Editor's Note: Take a deeper dive into next-generation web-to-print with our recent whitepaper: Web to Print: The Next Generation. The whitepaper makes a strong case for taking web-to-print offerings to the next level as customer requirements have continued to evolve, especially as cloud-based solutions and mobile communications have become ubiquitous and bandwidth is more readily available.

As the Internet began to gain steam in the late 1990s, software developers saw an opportunity to make it easier for businesses and consumers to order, and even design, printed materials. Thus, the web-to-print category of Internet software was born, and the field was littered with players during the dot-com boom. Few of those original entrants have survived, but many others have entered the market as the category has continued to evolve.

Most printing companies today have some level of customer-facing ecommerce capability, sometimes only for a key customer and sometimes more successfully across the board. With the growing maturing of cloud-based solutions for not only web-to-print but just about everything else, now is a good time for printing companies to evaluate their web-to-print implementation to determine whether it is doing the best job possible of creating an exceptional customer experience.

User requirements for these systems have also continued to evolve, especially as cloud-based solutions and mobile communications have become ubiquitous and bandwidth is more readily available. Consumers expect an Amazon- or Uber-like experience. They want to be able to do everything from their mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. They want to be able to seamlessly move back and forth between the mobile and desktop environments (if they are even using a desktop or laptop computer, that is!). And they want more robust capabilities – they want to be able to do more than just put their name on a business card.

At the same time, marketers view web to print as a means of providing marketing and other materials to their stakeholders, moving document creation closer to the point of use while still protecting brand integrity with templates that lock down certain portions of the content. It is a way to ensure higher quality of marketing and other materials while reducing overall administrative costs.

I recently spoke to three fascinating firms who have taken web-to-print to the next level:

Michael Heerkens, CTO at Helloprint, one of the fastest growing ecommerce platforms in the Benelux with more than 130 employees. The company primarily serves small businesses, the SOHO market and does business with the trade. Print is produced through its network of more than 150 suppliers in eight countries.

Claud Monro, Senior Vice President of Business Development at direct marketing agency SK+G. SK+G is a full-service advertising agency that counts among its clients casinos and resorts, restaurants, hotels and entertainment businesses. It's direct division, of which Monro is a part, has developed its own technology for a fully automated marketing platform that it white labels for its clients. The platform is also sold by Konica Minolta, a SK+G client and partner, under the name Konica Minolta EngageIT.

Andy Ogren, Owner at Blanks USA. The company has taken the Uber-izing of web to print to a new level for the creation of die cut products such as door hangers, labels, boxes, cup sleeves, bottle hangers, tab dividers and more. The company offers more than 17,000 pre-built templates as well as the ability to begin with a blank canvas. Thirty years ago, Blanks USA began its life selling door hangers and raffle tickets. Today, the company has evolved into an industry-leading supplier of security paper and die cut paper products. 

They also joined me on a webinar to discuss their experiences and share their advice, and they are also featured in a white paper sponsored by CHILI publish, The Uber-ization of Web to Print.

These resources provide a wealth of information about how and why these leading companies chose to move to the next generation of web-to-print and the kinds of results they are achieving for their businesses and their customers. Among other things, each shared an outstanding customer story during the webinar that demonstrates how these new solutions deliver value.

Here are a few pieces of advice they have shared. I encourage you to visit the webinar archive and to download the white paper to learn more!

Start with a clean-sheet design if at all possible.

Choose an open platform, well-documented online editing solution that can integrate with a robust storefront and other workflow components.

Make sure the final outcome will yield a platform that is easy to use for inexperienced users but robust enough to meet the needs of more experienced users.

Ensure the final platform will be as automated as possible, taking touches out of the process and delivering accurate print-ready PDF files.

Leverage native, cloud-based components to keep costs in line while allowing the ability to scale as the business grows.

Integration with a variety of databases, internal and external, is critical.

Templates and rules need to be created once and be available for use digitally or through the postal system.

Once campaigns are designed, they must be deployed on an ongoing basis in a fully automated manner. This "one and done" approach allows for very short to very long runs in a cost-effective manner.

Think out of the box. Consult and brainstorm with software providers to better understand what is possible, and then stretch the limits of those possibilities for new and innovative approaches. It is critical to have partners who are willing to work with you in this manner.

By making the system easy to use, robust and flexible, and by giving users lots of options, the solution is likely to generate more return business.

These insights just scratch the surface. It's an exciting time to be in the printing business. Make sure you are taking advantage of the latest technologies so your customers will be excited as well!

Source: The Changing Face of Web to Print

Web design evolution for global software debugging leader, Undo

Onespacemedia writes:

We started working with Undo in early 2016 when we overhauled their digital presence. Since then their business has evolved significantly with new features and a new focus in their marketing messaging.

Through an ongoing retainer agreement we have been able to establish a close working relationship and partnership with Undo, allowing us to respond to the company's changing needs, resulting in a refresh of their website.

Undo makes products that help some of the world's largest companies, including Cadence and SAP, to respond quickly to code failures in both production and test environments and to improve overall software quality. The latest changes to the site include restructured and designed home and product pages and a new section of the site dedicated to communicating the multiple benefits of Undo's products to their target audiences. We also designed new logos for their range of software products.

Working with Undo over the last year has meant that we've gained a deep understanding of their business,  their competitive landscape and, importantly, their goals. This enables us to offer strategic digital solutions that support their business objectives and help them to remain competitive in their space. 

MD and founder of Onespacemedia, James Cotton, said "The retainer model allows agencies to have a much greater understanding of the changing needs of the businesses they serve. Most businesses are in a constant state of flux and need to be able to move fast to take advantage of new ideas or market forces. By keeping in regular contact with our retainer clients, we build a real time understanding of both their and customers' needs, and the competitive landscapes in which they operate. This enables us to provide more strategic insight, to react faster and to deploy changes or new additions to their digital properties that are more likely to succeed. "

Niamh Gallagher, Marketing Manager at Undo, said "Onespacemedia has been extremely responsive to our needs and consistently delivers high quality work. At times, we know we can be a demanding client but Onespacemedia rose to the challenge each and every time. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them."

Take a look at the website.

______________________________________________

Onespacemedia is an award-winning agency specialising in strategy-driven website design and development and results-focussed digital marketing.

Source: Web design evolution for global software debugging leader, Undo

Lync School offers you the best UI/UX design training in hyderabad:

Mar 11, 2017

UI/UX design:Want to start your career with new opportunities. Join us. Lync School provides Quality Web Designing course with best expertise faculty, 24x7 Support, Classroom/Online training, and Real time project experience. Faculty trains you from Interview point of view and Assigns you tasks.Web designing is the process of designing websites. It comprises of several different concepts, including web layouts, graphic design and content production. In web designing, we have to Collect ideas, implement ideas and apply design principles. To create an effective web design, we need to apply some visual elements like Layouts, attractive Colour, Graphics, Font styles and best Content.Good Web Design need to be:Easily understandableEasy to UseLook and FeelDesigned from users point of view, i.e. WYSIWYW (What You See Is What You Want)UI development:A user Interface (UI) is the system in which user interact with a machine. Both software and hardware components are included in User Interfa ce. It is used for many systems and provides mean for input and output.UI designer is mainly concerned about how the product came out. They ensure that UI interacts with user.Advantages of UI Development:User Interface enables user to interact with the system and helps to learn system quick and use it efficiently.UI pattern is Good to useIt is reusable and most users adopt UI.Less ExpensiveFaster to useUX designer:UX is nothing but User Experience. "User Experience" includes all the aspects of the end users interaction with company, their services, and their products. The Primary requirement of User Experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer without bother. Later comes to simplicity and elegance of the product that are joy to own and joy to use.Advantages of UX design:It is somewhat less expensive to prevent a problem from occurring than to fix it later.It saves money and time by creating the correct product from the start.Good user experience helps customers to complete their work in the site rather than opt to call.Improves trust in brand.Improves customer satisfaction and makes better reviews.The sound knowledge in web designing shows the future scope and opportunities. Lync School provide you the best possible room for web designing.

About the Author

Are you confused of what technology to choose? We interview,analyse,guide and help you to choose a career technology path.To build a career in Technology, Lync school offers you the best launchpad and provides hybrid training. Through a combination of thorough admissions,a carefully crafted curriculum and application development techniques, Lync school only takes passionate students and transforms them into professional technology leaders.

Our belief is that change is inevitable and we embrace it. We constantly improvise by updating our teaching methods,technologies and help students to develop presentation and communication skills.We are a student centric institution,where we provide students training ,development and certification. We help them learn and gain experience and ensure collaboration with each other and the trainers.We track technology trends and teach accordingly to be ahead in the industry. Preparing students to meet the professional world by guiding them in the inte rview process is our priority.

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Source: Lync School offers you the best UI/UX design training in hyderabad:

How to get at least slightly better at web design / design work?

I am a software person getting asked to do a lot of design work in a temporary position, which I am HORRIBLE at. Please help me make things of which I'm at least slightly proud.

Basically, I am 100% NOT a front-end / UX person. Usability is super important and I care a lot about it in apps that I personally use, but if you sit me down with a blank white screen and tell me to make something that looks good / feels usable, I... will add Bootstrap, then stare back at you until someone lets me go home.

Not really, but my product is always super lame and vaguely off. The navigation doesn't feel quite right, the colors are bland (I'm afraid of color), I'm not at all proud of the final product. It usually stays pretty 2-dimensional. Apps that I admire are usually simple but bold, calming, feel modern and are fairly intuitive. Hard!

In the olden days, pre-Bootstrap and pre-app revolution, when web design was more idiosyncratic, I did do it for fun-- I felt like I was expressing myself. I regularly redesigned my personal blog and it was kind of cool. I'm actually kind of artistic in real life; I like fashion and sketch things to relax. But web design now seems a lot more scientific and user-tested and I'm not really familiar with the principles of the work.

I know women get tasked with design work even when it's not their job all the time, and I find that really frustrating (I am quite sure they wouldn't give any of this design work to one of the other male temps because they would assume they're "nerds" and therefore not artistic), but this is a short-term thing that is sort of an apprenticeship, so technically I should be excited about learning new things. I also feel that on the rare occasion when I get a bee in my bonnet about a web/app project, sometimes not being able to do any design work on it holds me back a bit-- I feel like the final product won't be the sleek usable thing I'm picturing in my mind. So I do want to improve for the sake of i t.

Are there simple resources out there for someone like me who has no color/art training but wants to make good, strategic design choices, and make a solid visual product? Are there workflows?

Source: How to get at least slightly better at web design / design work?