Website are designed to serve a purpose. This implies that the website should perform some functions. These functions depend on the needs of the final users of the website as well as the expectations of those who own the website.
The functional design can be the final result as well the path to the final result. As a final result the functional design works towards achieving the desired results of the users. When the functional design is the path to the final result it is about following certain principles that allow the design to fulfill the needs or expectations of the users.
Some of the prominent considerations for the functional design of a website are as follows:
Goal of the website:
The website is brought into existence for some purpose. This purpose could be anything varying for sharing of information to selling the product or service. Usually the purpose of most of the commercial website is to promote the sale of products or services offered by the website owner. The website needs to be designed on the basis of what the final user of the website want. If the website design meets the demand of the final users, then and then only the website will be able to generate revenue for the website owner.
The users:
The website is finally going to be used by the human beings. All sorts of human beings do not have the same mental capacity. Getting used to the technicalities of the computer and the internet usually depends on the age of the user. When designing the website the age of targeted market segment has to be the prime consideration. If the website is to be designed to target the elderly people then the functionality of the website is going to depend on the vision as well as the thought process of the user. All the elderly people are not used to the technicalities and they need to be guided and presented with the simplest message or information that can be easily understood. The functionality of the website also depends on the extent to which the targeted audience can see the message or information clearly.
Use:
A website designer needs to study the prospective final users of website especially to know how they are going to use it. If the website is for promoting the sale of a product, there should be a facility for the user to place the order, and if this facility is not offered or the facility of online payment for the delivery of ordered product is not given the prospective buyer is never going to place the order in the future. If the web designer wants to assure maximum functionality of the website he/she should consider what the visitor is going to do when the website is displayed on the screen.
Clarity:
The designer can assure optimum functionality of the website when all the visitors of the website know to use it. This depends directly on the clarity of the information or messaged exhibited on the website pages. For the visitors especially the first timers and kids, instructions need to be clearly presented on the screen, then and then only optimization of functionality is possible.
The working:
The final user of the website should be informed about how the website is going to act on pressing or clicking the various buttons. The user needs to be also informed about the consequences of clicking or pressing the buttons by mistake and how to rectify it. When the user knows the working of the website the functionality can be optimized.
Interactivity:
The website needs to be as interactive with the user as possible. The more the website is interactive the more the user gets used to the functionality. This implies that even if the functioning is a bit difficult initially, as the user practices the functioning becomes easy.
Mistakes:
At time mistakes by the users can escalate and halt the functioning of the website. If the user is informed about the ways to rectify the mistakes, the mistake can be corrected without it getting escalated.