Aesthetics vs function in UI/UX

As much as good designs look like a result of a nice design eye, The world of UI/UX stands for many standards and regulations. designers often find themselves making tough choices between adding elements that might look stunning but not too functional and elements that are nicely functional but not  appealing 

What to prioritize? Is the fit of a product more important than how it looks or vice-versa? It is a matter of Aesthetics vs functionality in UI/UX!

What is the aesthetic and functionality of a UI/UX design?

Aesthetics is a core design principle that defines a design appeal in visual terms. It includes factors such as balance, color, movement, pattern, scale, shape, and visual weight. In UI/UX world aesthetics goes hand in hand with usability, and so enhance functionality with attractive layouts.

Why is it so important to balance?

While an appealing product will help the user build the trust of the product initially and ignore possible flaws a functional product will still keep the user engaged and determine whether the product is successful or not. 

Both need to be considered while designing in order to deliver a complete user-experience that ensures utility and usability while meeting user expectations in brand experience.

Unlike what people generally think, UI/UX design is like architecture where you don’t bring fancy wallpapers without considering how a person needs to be comfortable in moving in the space you are building. The same flow goes with digital work such as websites and applications, and it’s called wireframing.

How to ensure an aesthetic yet functional design ?

Here are the best practices to ensure  decent aesthetically pleasing yet functional design:

Invest in the psychology behind the project

As a designer, you escalate your work when you think like a user. The user should always be your main client!. Trying to perceive how a user is going to feel about the product takes little knowledge in psychology but it is manageable.

Pay attention to Internal and external consistency

User expectations are built through their previous experiences with similar digital products. Consistency plays a key role in guaranteeing the ease of use of the website with a reliable conventional design that matches design standards (external consistency). But you also need to keep pages integrable and consistent with each other (internal consistency)

Conduct Continuous Usability Tests

Let real users test how functional is your design and how practical and easy it is to navigate through and so generate useful insights and understand the user behavior toward your design in matters of aesthetics and functionality 

Understand carefully Device UI Guidelines and Behaviors

UI design has no size fit all, Different platforms have different UI and usability guidelines and so different aesthetics. 

Use a design system

Pairing the perfect aesthetics with functionality is way easier and more consistent when you use a design system.

Arsenic was built to serve consistency to all designs and nothing less.