An age-old question that has been prevailing in the curious mind of designers: is functionality or aesthetics more important for designing? It’s quite complex to answer this. Or say it’s impossible to answer it as it depends on so many factors. Like, follow-up questions such as what should be focused more on? Does it depend on the brand you are designing for? Or does it vary with the purpose of the design?
There is no direct answer to such questions. However, it is important to know the difference between them and to create a balance. We have exactly pinpointed the information about aesthetics and functionality in this article so that you don’t end up choosing one over another.
Aesthetic in Design
Aesthetic in the designing process refers to the inculcation of graphic elements in a design. The main focus of it is to elevate the visual appearance of the design. It’s simply about creating a design that can be pleasant to look at including colors, typography, imagery, etc.
The aesthetic of any design has to be strong as it works as a hooking point to grab the attention of the users. It creates a positive impact on the users which can compel them to use the system or product further.
Here are the following elements, together which make a design “aesthetic”:-
- Visual Hierarchy: Hierarchy refers to the highlighting and arranging of the elements as per their importance. This means the most important message will be highlighted in the design to grab the attention. It can be done simply by placing the element in a prominent position.
- Color: Color plays a significant role in creating the impact as it directly interacts with the emotions of the viewers. Also, the color chosen represents the brand and its identity.
- Typography: It is associated with style, size, and everything related to text. Typography is very important as it helps in setting the visual hierarchy and complements other designs.
- Whitespace: It refers to negative space. In essence, whitespace refers to the empty space between graphic elements. Having a perfect proportion of whitespace makes the design look organized and visually appealing.
- Minimalistic: When it comes to designing, less is always more. The fewer the elements put in, the more organized it comes out. While adding aesthetics to the system or product, knowing to balance between elements is a key to good design.
Functionality in design
In layman’s terms, functionality in design refers to how well a system can work and how successful the user has been in achieving the goal. Reliability, efficiency, and accessibility are a few things that functionality focuses on.
The role of functionality in design is far from being complicated. It works what it’s intended to do. If aesthetic elements are making a compelling design, functionality looks after the working of it.
Here are the following elements, together which make a design “functional”:-
- Flexibility: When a user comes to the system, it seeks for the task to be done on the preferences. Giving the customizable option to users as per their preferences can help them adapt things without compromising efficiency.
- User Friendly: Functionality is important when it comes to making the system or the product feasible for the user to use. It must not be difficult to operate them, easy to understand and navigate hassle free to complete the task.
- Efficient: A product or system must work swiftly as soon as it gets the order to work. To put it simply, the options, shortcuts, etc must work with a single click.
- Exceptional Performance: A high-end performance is expected from any system. If it takes time to load or needs to be double-clicked, it affects the user experience. Ultimately, affecting the brand’s identity.
Tips to practice balance between Aesthetics and Functionality in UI/UX Design
Now coming to decipher the most important question: whether functionality matters or aesthetics? By now, it must be clear that the combination of both is what makes the design stand apart.
Here in this part, we will delve deeper to know how one can maintain a balance between both:
- Know the market: Before designing, encounter yourself to answer a few questions. Who is your buyer? What are the consumer preferences? How are the competitors catering to the audiences? Create something which can be appealing to your users. Design what can stand out from your competitors. Such an evaluation process might be lengthy but can benefit to maintain the balance between both.
- Measure the obstacles: The road to balancing between both is not so easy. Therefore, it’s best to wear the shoes of the user to know the obstacles ahead. This can help in knowing the possible obstacles that users can face and help in inventing ways to tackle them. It can also help in knowing the preferences of the user which can help with adding on the needed elements of functionality and aesthetics.
- Stay consistent with the design: Consistency is the key. Follow the same pattern of design standards and keep continuing it throughout. Keep the same font, size, color that can fit in the layout. This can help to maintain the aesthetics while maintaining the functionality throughout.
- Prioritize usability: Believe what they say. It’s difficult to wear the shoes of the user but necessary to know the critical changes to make. To know the functionality and aesthetics combination, it’s vital to hear the feedback to work on it. This can help in delivering the perfect final product.
To find that ideal spot between functionality and aesthetics is a thin line. But that heavily depends on whom you are creating for and the vision of the brand. If followed the above steps, it can be easy to strike a balance between both which can result in a perfect design.
There’s a way to balance between too which can be cradled with good research and attention to detail.
If you’re the one looking to strive for that balance for your own brand, Aarsol will help to speak for it by offering creative UI/UX design solutions. Being a UI/UX design agency, we can create a unique combination of aesthetics and functionality that can help you stand apart to step up towards advancement.
