TFN#23: 🪜Mastering “Form Follows Function”

Reader, if it was a matter of life and death to win a Formula-1 race, which car would you choose?

Okay, what about choosing a gift for King Charles III if you were to pay him a visit?

Both of us know each other’s choices. And the choices are the same.

But why?

Why would we end up selecting a regular F1 car for the race and this gorgeous faucet for a gift?

Because we know the functions

F1 car to win the race.

Faucet to show our artistic taste to his highness.

We know that the artistic-looking F1 car is not going to win us race. It is more of a showpiece. And we know King Charles is not looking for a faucet to wash his hands. It is merely a collectible. With a high degree of royal, artistic look.

Form Follows Function

“Form follows function” is a design principle that suggests the shape or design of an object should primarily be based on its intended function or purpose.

When an object’s form doesn’t follow its function, people quickly notice it. Because bad design is loud.

Why don’t we use this principle?

If you remember, a few months back we had discussed in a letter that the problem lies in not considering ourselves a designer.

If your work includes writing emails, WhatsApp messages, or managing a project, you are a designer. Not philosophically, practically. And it has real-life implications: on your work, your income, your status, and your satisfaction.

“But waiit. How to use this principle in my work?”

Fair question.

I have been just rambling about “form follows function” until now.

But before that…a rant-cum-example 😄

Have you noticed your HR department sending some important announcements?

They use at least three communication channels:

1. Mass Email
2. WhatsApp Group
3. Written Memo on paper
4. Notice Board (this is bonus)

The funny thing is, that they copy-paste the same content for all communication channels. No modification.

The function of each communication channel is different. This begs for modification of the content form.

For example:

1. Mass email’s function is to convey generic, non-urgent, lengthy, formal communication
2. WhatsApp group’s function is to convey generic, urgent, concise, informal communication
3. Paper memo’s function is to convey specific, non-urgent, business, compliance-worthy communication
4. The notice board’s function is to advertise generic, non-urgent, public communications

Don’t tell me you haven’t observed this. It is impossible to miss!

So, how to use it in our work

Document Formatting

For example, in last week’s letter, we talked about using text styles to format content. Or if you remember, we had covered the concept of negative space/white space a few weeks back.

​Example of introducing white space from that letter​

Email inbox/Files Organization

Use appropriate tags, colors, and folder structure to keep your email inbox or filing cabinet clutter-free.

File Naming and Version Control

For example, files and folders could be named with the project name, date, and version number, in a particular sequence. This ensures that team members can quickly locate the most recent or relevant version.

Task and Project Management Tools

“Does it make sense to my organization/team with 30 people to use a software that Google with 100,000 staff uses?” — I wish more and more organizations asked this question to themselves before jumping on any trendy project management tools.

Data Visualization

There is a big difference between using a pie chart and using a bar chart. Even if the data is the same. Because the form matters. Refer to this article on 44 types of charts and their usage.

Meetings

The purpose must decide a meeting’s form.

Online, offline, scheduled, impromptu, one-on-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, short, long…..and you got the idea.

And if you think about it, I could have just used a handwritten letter to communicate this. But it wouldn’t fulfill its purpose.

So, have you knowingly or unknowingly applied this principle in your work?

What about comic situations where people simply ignore the principle?

Hit Reply and tell me.

Reads of the week:

Group chat = group stress.

The mass communication rant in this letter reminded me of this classic article by 37Signal’s team.

If you still operate your work on group chat, think again.

Imagine. In the early 70s, schools recruited staff to keep a watch on high schoolers’ mathematics homework notes. To double check if the calculations were manual or using a calculator. If you remember, we touched on this non-issue a few weeks back in 5 things Photoshop’s Firefly update tells us, even if we don’t use it. AI is here. We invented it and there is no going back. That’s also a part of my new world rules.