Website Design: Aesthetics vs Functionality
Looking good online is something lots of people all over the world seem to be preoccupied with right now. Whether you love it or loathe it, image-led social media platforms like Instagram are taking over, particularly among younger users, with celebs, ‘influencers’ and all us other plain old Joes going to great lengths to create carefully curated feeds that aesthetically look the part.
But when it comes to the design of your website, do the same ‘aesthetics first’ rules apply, or do users care more about what’s going on underneath the façade? The age-old question of function versus form has been batted around before, but now we thought it was time to wade into the discussion with a thorough breakdown of the benefits and drawbacks of each approach before reaching our own conclusions about the role of aesthetics and function in web design.
Aesthetics
The late Steve Jobs once said: “Good design is about how something works, not about how it looks or feels”. Now, most of us probably wouldn’t argue with the man who built the world’s most valuable brand on the back of good design, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of website designers trying to win over their customers with an approach that priorities aesthetics over function. And, in this oh so superficial age we live in, it’s not been without success. So just what are the benefits of this approach:
The Pros
- Create immediate interest
With so many websites out there competing for the same customers, it’s essential your website design creates immediate interest. It takes just 50 milliseconds (ms) (that’s 0.05 seconds, if you’re asking) for users to form an opinion about your website and decide whether to stay or leave. In that time, all they have to go on is the look of your site. So, highly visible, high-resolution images that make a visual mark on your visitors can encourage them to hang around.
- Show off
If your business operates in a creative industry, your website is the perfect platform to showcase your skills. You can experiment and create features that are unique to your site and give the user an insight into what you can achieve.
- Stand out from the crowd
Having a website that works well will certainly be of value to the customer, but it won’t help to differentiate your business from the competition. You’ll have to rely on other aspects of your branding or marketing mix to make you memorable. A website that looks great will help you make your mark in the industry and create an online presence that sticks in the mind for all the right reasons.
- Build relationships
A visually appealing website can help you develop relationships with your customers. If visitors see something they like and identify with on your website, you’re one step closer to a sale. We all like to define ourselves through our sense of style, our hobbies and our interests. A website that resonates with these choices can be extremely compelling.
- Evoke emotion
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ — well, it’s true, particularly online. When we’re browsing online, we don’t want to take the time to read words. We want to make snap decisions based on what we see without having to do any work. That’s where a visually striking website really comes into its own. Using visual elements, a website can convey complex emotions such as happiness, delight, sadness and even pity almost immediately, which can stop a user in their tracks.
The Cons
We don’t want to get all physics-y on you, but according to Newton’s Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and that’s very much true if you rely heavily on high-resolution images and striking visuals.
- Load speed can become a problem
Faster sites create happier users. That’s a fact. Numerous studies have shown that the slower a site responds, the less time visitors will spend on it. Websites that are reliant on videos or high-resolution images tend to be slower to load and that can be enough to persuade users to go elsewhere.
- You risk overcomplicating things
Website designers might assume every user has the same degree of computer literacy as they do, but they don’t. By incorporating elements into your website that are not widely used, you risk alienating certain customer groups, particularly older users.
- Users’ hardware might not be up to the task
Not every user is likely to have the necessary hardware to be able to run the latest animations or transitions seamlessly without affecting the user experience. If elements of your website design do not function for certain customers, they’ll quickly lose trust in your site and search for something they’re more comfortable with.
- Distract from the conversion
Why have you spent so much time and money designing and attracting traffic to your website? Is it so users can gaze at its unfathomable beauty, or is it so they can make a purchase, submit a form and become a lead? Spending too much time on the visual appeal of your site could detract from your end goals.
Functionality
Websites that put function ahead of form offer certain benefits more complex, visually striking websites can’t necessarily match. While elaborate designs might look the part, if your priority is to make your website findable, usable and accessible, there are definite advantages functionality can bring.
The Pros
- Conversions come first
The golden rule of designing a web page that converts well is to keep it simple. Having fewer design elements makes it easier to draw the user’s eye to the most important area of the page, which is likely to be your call-to-action.
- Easy to navigate
Your users don’t have the time to look past your impressive images, animations and designs to figure out how your website works. Good navigation makes the process of accessing the information users want easy, quick and smooth, guiding them seamlessly from entry into your site through to the conversion.
- Fast load times
Website loads speeds are vitally important to the user experience. If your website takes between four and five seconds to load, 20 percent of viewers have already left your site. Quicker load times also contribute to higher search engine rankings. Paring back graphics, images and elaborate layouts will get your website seen more quickly.
- Mobile friendly
With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile phones, it’s essential your website works just as well on a smartphone as it does on a desktop device. Visually complex designs do not always translate to smaller screens effectively, while a simple, functional design will.
- Easy to update
With regular content updates and new offers and promotions, it’s a big benefit to your business if website changes can be made simply and quickly. Functional websites allow you to do just that, reducing the friction and making life easier for you and your team.
The Cons
There are also consequences of choosing website functionality over style that are not quite so rosy for your business, and they can have a detrimental impact on how your brand is perceived.
- No wow factor
There’s a risk that websites which focus solely on functionality will fall into the bracket of ‘just another corporate website’. If you want to attract younger users, then including a few stylistic design elements can be beneficial.
- Just another face in the crowd
Playing it safe with your website design is a waste of an excellent opportunity to differentiate yourself from other businesses in your sector. If you’re not going to be brave with your website design, you’ll have to think about other ways to make your business stand out.
- Designing and coding are less fun
Playing it safe has probably never been the most fun way to approach anything, and the same can be said of website design. You might struggle to attract and keep the best designers and developers if you don’t let their creative juices flow and it will impact the way users perceive your brand.
The takeaway
Visual appeal is an extremely important aspect of website design. It has the power to help you build lasting relationships with your customers and differentiate yourself from the competition. However, it’s essential you put the functional foundations in place first. Your website must be findable, usable and accessible. Once that’s nailed down, you can then add a few stylistic touches to make you look the part.
