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Choosing Form Over Function Kills Your Site
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that visitors actually be able to USE your site. Everything you do must be designed to be as easy for the visitor to understand as possible. Everything should be functional first. If you put form before function, you sacrifice your visitor's best interest for your own preferences. By definition, putting form over function means you sacrifice function--you make it harder to perform whatever task is supposed to be performed. You give up ease of use or simplicity in order to make it look nicer. Basically, you wind up with a lot of icing and no cake. Don't get me wrong--form often accentuates function, just like icing accentuates a cake. Something that is visually pleasing often increases the usability by making it more attractive or by using visual elements to increase understanding. Creative design can often be used to make a task easier to perform. It can entice the visitor to take whatever action you want them to take. However, on the web, there are frequently contests between form and function. Designers make choices between whether to make something look nicer or make it simpler and easier to use. For example, these are common ways of sacrificing function:
These are all examples of choosing form over function. Unfortunately, if your design looks great but is hard to figure out, your visitors will be gone. They don't come to your site to admire the looks; they come to use the site--to find information or to accomplish a task. Anything you do to stand in their way is a no-no. Most of the time, a visitor's attention span is about as long as snake fur. They have no patience. If you complicate their lives, they're outta here. Other sites are ready and waiting to meet their needs, so there is no reason they should struggle through your site. If you opt for form over function, you're likely to opt yourself right out of sales. Not good. When you're designing your website, don't think about looks first. Always make function a priority. Think about what's going to be easiest for your visitors to use and understand. Then create an attractive presentation to accentuate it. About The Author There are 605.6 million people online. Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates powerful and engaging websites that make sure YOUR company gets noticed. Visit www.kianta.com for a free quote. Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: www.kianta.com/newsletter.php
MORE RESOURCES:  Yahoo! News Search Results for website design Yahoo! News Search Results for website design • Website sells Shariah-approved sex aids to Muslims The El Asira home page is a discreet design with two simple links for men and women. The only clue to its content are the small blue and pink hearts at the top of the page. • Website Provides New Access to Denville?s North Jersey Design Center for Impl... Cosmetic Dentists Daniel Orellana, DDS and William Johnson, DDS have provided North Jersey residents new access to their state of the art offices with the launch of their new website designed by Roadside Multimedia. • Avery Graphics Design 66 Challenge Contest Winners Announced Painesville, OH Three designs have crossed the finish line and are in the winners circle of the Avery Graphics Design 66 Challenge. Salute the Soldiers by Daniel Wayne Logue was selected as the winning design, chosen by NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace, the Rusty Wallace Racing team and sponsor 5-Hour Energy. More than 120 entries from across the United States and Canada were ... • Tampa Web Development Firm Bayshore Solutions Launches the Flatwoods Consulti... Bayshore Solutions is proud to announce the launch of the Flatwoods Consulting Group Inc. (Flatwoods) website. The Tampa Web design for the ecology and environmental consulting firm website is based on natural photo images and colors portraying a modern look and consistent branding message. • Website a waste (Re: City pays $128,000 for new website design) Wow -- $128,000 for this amateur website? Another colossal waste of my property tax dollar. Ranks right up there with the addition to the arena that I'll never use and the new bridge built so Bulls fans can get to Wendy's quicker after the game.[...] |
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