You're creating a new product design. How do you balance sleek aesthetics with practical usability?

The key is to ensure that design is being done with empathy, where aesthetic solutions in some ways do not detract from or add to the utility of an object but rather they complement its utility.

Form follows function. Practical usability should always come first. That's why wireframes should be a critical part of the process. The aesthetics are then layered on. They can and should contribute to the usability (color differentiation, UX focused animations, etc). They should never hinder the usability and should follow design best practices. Looking great but neglecting usability will only lead to heavy churn and frustrated users.

Aesthetics go hand in hand with usability. Some of the finest apps and websites use aesthetics to enhance user experience and as a medium to bring cohesion to features and interface. Aesthetics are used to bring balance to the product so there is no need to balance aesthetics and usability. For example, if there is an app that has numerous features, bold colors and simple shapes will help users easily distinguish between them without creating unnecessary sensory overload. Similarly, an app with a few features could use engaging graphics and illustrations to highlight them and make the app visually appealing thereby increasing user's intrinsic motivation. In simple words "form follows function".

Imagine you're about to design a new gadget. But before you sketch your first idea, you step into the shoes of your future users. You visit their homes, observe their daily routines, and hear their frustrations and desires. Through these interactions, you gather stories and insights that reveal what they truly need. With this understanding, you craft a design that doesn’t just look good but solves real problems in their lives. Your creation seamlessly blends beauty with functionality, addressing their challenges in a way that feels both intuitive and refined. When you unveil your product, it’s not just another option on the market—it’s a thoughtful solution that resonates deeply with those who use it, making it an instant favorite.

Understanding user needs is the cornerstone of effective UX design. By conducting thorough research and empathizing with users, we can create actionable instructions and outlines that shape great designs, solve real problems, and provide genuine value.

The word sleek should never be applied to design. It has no definitive meaning and causes massive confusion for a design team. Appropriate aesthetics should be discernible by a label that means something such as “mid century modern”. Banish the word sleek from your prod dev teams’ vocabulary.

Employing design principles enhance the possiblity to arrive at a balanced design where the item is aesthetically appealing and at the same time highly functional.

The key design principles i had like to focus for product designs are ‘Sapient’s ways of designing experience’: LEAD, which is L light , simple and not complex which leads to intuitiveness in a design E Ethical, thought and developed keeping it purposeful and useful A Accessible, resonating with user’s context and empathizing D Dataful, has to be driven by data insights and most important measurable tangibly.

Base your design decisions on research first and foremost, make sure that the choices you make in the product aesthethic is benefiting the life of the user. Once this baselevel is set you can experiment with different design principles to create a cohesive looks. Be mindful of how the curves and shapes interact, learn color theory and play with contrast to highligt the features and functions of the product. Simplify in order to make the product more intuitive, dont simplify at the cost of functionality.

Balancing sleek aesthetics with practical usability hinges on one core principle: form follows function. Design isn’t just about making something look good; it’s about ensuring that every visual element serves a purpose and enhances the user experience. Sure, aesthetics matter, but they should always be rooted in functionality. The process starts with putting the user at the center—understanding their needs and letting that guide the design. When a design works well, it naturally looks good too. And let’s not forget, the most important collaborator in the design process is always the customer.

La forme suit la fonction. Nous connaissons tous cette citation et cette philosophie. Il est évident qu'un design qui n'offre pas de solution évidente concernant la fonctionnalité première d'un produit, n'a pas vraiment de raison d'être. En fait la question ne se pose presque pas, c'est un prérequis, une évidence ! La base d'un "bon Design", c'est au sens fonctionnel du terme. Un produit bien dessiné/con?u pour répondre à un besoin identifié et remplir une fonction dans le cadre d’un cahier des charges bien établi (cible, co?t, outil de production, faisabilité, sustainability…). Mais ce n'est pas suffisant, si cela constitue le "fond" et il ne faut pas en oublier la "forme". (a détailler dans une autre article...??)

I absolutely agree, but beauty is also a function. Longevity, both in terms of the product’s construction and its visual appeal, is a key element. In industrial design, functionality should take precedence. A product that looks good but fails to perform will quickly lose favor. Start with the core function and ensure every aesthetic element supports or enhances this function. Sometimes, this means omitting trendy features if they don't contribute to performance. Prioritizing function doesn't mean sacrificing beauty; beauty emerges naturally from thoughtful design.

A functional design implies considering such factors as comfort, convenience, and sturdiness, making the product satisfy user expectations for the product’s performance.

The most beautiful product can leave a user with a horrible experience just as an ugly product can be intuitive leaving the user with a good impression. Aesthetics are important because they help deliver value and differentiation. However, the functionality should not come at the cost of unnecessary design choices that add nothing to the product's usefulness.

During the design process, feedback obtained through prototypes or mock-ups may indicate potential usability problems or design distortions that may cause confusion or decreased functionality. Some ?users may state that although a particular design element looks good, it is not very functional or functional in a way that they do not prefer.