Designed Websites

| Friday, February 4, 2011
By Craig Tims


Without doubt one of the characterizing aspects of improvements in devices is actually not engineering advances but design. While you could assert that technology and design trends go together, it is equally simple to see precisely how design rules buyer habits. This has been the case for a long time since mass-production allowed manufacturers to create cheap products with the bonus on design rather than functionality. Case in point, the paper clothing of the 1960s were inexpensive and of a bad quality yet for many fashionable people they were items you needed to have in the wardrobe. This process continues to this present day. Mobile phone producers continually play with the dichotomy of functionality vs design. A lot of product designers choose simple designs and rely instead on features. Others choose to offer fewer features but instead focus on the design, at times working with celebrities.

With such a focus on design instead of usability, it is easy to think of products solely as design orientated but it's good to not forget that such products should have functional benefits. When you are picking a product to buy there tends to be three different factors that you have to weigh up - cost, features and design. Sometimes you might want to spend more on design or features. Other times they get incorporated. Apple's design ethos is a good example of design meeting technology.

If you always go for the design aspect when buying new products then you should start to consider the functional element too. Although it may be tempting to buy the trendiest designed product, it may not be the best performing. You should always look at the functionality of the device and how you will be using it. There is no point of purchasing a high-tech computer if all you will be doing is sending emails with it or browsing online.

Thus, whenever you are buying new products, you should always think about how you will use it or why you need it. An example of this is e-book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle. They have practical uses in real life. E.g., many airlines are now limiting flyers to a single piece of luggage. An e-book reader is a lot smaller than the average book and you are able to take more books with you on holiday than you might otherwise be able to.

Cell phones are a good example of improved technology functions. You can take your mobile phone for all of your media needs. Lots of phones now have large memories allowing you to save videos, pictures and music. Lots of phones now also have decent digital cameras too, meaning you won't need to buy a separate, expensive camera. The web is no different. Plenty of websites have been designed with usability and functionality in mind. You are able to use websites that have been designed to allow you to organize Internet time better. They vary from a bookmarking service, password managers and personalized homepage.

A bookmarks manager can save time and can alter the way you work. Sadly, a lot of them have a more functional design and feel. It will be interesting to watch how they will develop as more and more people expect advanced functionality that is presented in a well designed and aesthetic end product.




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