New here? If you haven’t read my first post in this series, check out Day #1: The First Pancake Principle. This will give you the backstory needed for this five part series.
Day 4
Have you ever heard “form follows function?” It’s a phrase kicked around by design and architect types that roughly means “the shape of the thing you’re building should be dictated by what it does.”
Oddly enough, “Form follows function” has morphed into “Form over function” throughout the last 50 years, garnering nearly 7 times as many hits in Google search results. I sometimes lose track of whether that means form goes over top of function or form is more important than function, so I feel there is precedent to evolve it once more.
As a designer, I believe function should always remain at the tippy top of your priority list, with form underneath. As much as it pains me to say it, people use ugly products all the time. But if they don’t function as expected, we get frustrated and bail.
When you’re adding a feature to a product, force yourself to focus on whether you’re truly delivering the function your users desire. Really study how they use what you build, and iterate toward a seamless flow while resisting the temptation to dress it all up. Later, when your feature has earned it, give her the form she deserves.
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