Form and function have to combine to work well together, but they both need to be present.
Without it wed still be drowning in nested menus and layered toolbars, which many applications still cling to.
In the same vein, theres a pervasive belief that form doesnt matter as much as function.
Well, its about more than guts.
Youd likely consider the same things when buying a smartphone, or a pair of headphones.
Is this thing built to last, or will it fall apart?
Is the item made from quality materials?
Apples trackpads are glass, but feel like metal, and are built to stand up to regular use.
When wetweaked Windows for high-resolution screens, we spent time in the accessibility options.
Does this app have features that make it easy for you to read at night?
Does it support voice commands?
If youre visually impaired, can it increase the text size or speak text aloud?
Mechanical keyboardsare an excellent example of this.
Its highly personal, but its still important to consider before you spend money.
Keep in mind though that products that look better hold their value longer.
After all, people like to buy attractive things.
Just focus on your personal sense of aesthetics andnot necessarily what marketing tells you.
We assume more features means were getting a better product, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Are they well implemented, easy for you to use, or well built?
Which gadget do you think will make you happier in the long run?
Do you actually enjoy looking at or using this product?
A good example here are Apples laptop and equipment charging cables.
People have had tocome up withseveral ways to coil those cablesjust to avoid breakage.
In each case design won, but the rest of us lost.
to see the real purpose behind the design.
Title image byTina Mailhot-Roberge.
Additional photos byWilliam HookandKaren.
