We often hear “form and function”, or “form follows function”, but it seems there is an agreement when it comes to aesthetics: flat is the way to go. By simplifying design down this single element, it feels like we are looking at a car’s color and forgetting the aerodynamics.

I’m not in any way defending a uprising from faux-leather and table cloth textures, but I’m questioning this: are we looking only at aesthetics and abandoning a critical part of design — making tasks easier, not just prettier?

Good design not only solves a problem, but solves it elegantly and results in a good user experience — and it isn’t about shapes, colors, visual or tactile feedback and even the aspirations created by good branding — but a sum of those and many other factors.

As long as this fixation on flat vs skeuomorphism goes on, other design questions will be kept aside and we are likely to fall even deeper into the already criticized community of re-designers — improving how bits of work look while ignoring issues such as scalability, user testing, modularity and many others — delivering websites and apps that are closer to artwork than interface, exchanging thought-through interactive systems for any style that can garner praise on social media.

I’m not against the practice — it drives a lot of creativity and improves design skills — but I believe that the opportunity of redesigning something should nourish a new approach to design thinking; looking for a form, or aesthetic approach, that fits within the interface, brand and goals.

Many new users wouldn’t have any issues with low-contrast flat designs, but since the human brain works by relating shapes, textures and color to actions, the lack of real world relation can affect the user experience, especially for non-tech savvy users or those who are beginning their journeys on synaptic interfaces at an older age.

One way to avoid a stylistic approach from the start is by breaking the problem into two parts: over-arching goals and sub-goals for each one of them.

Understanding the main objective — serve more curated playlists, recommend better clothes, ask people to share their secrets — can help guide the overall approach before any graphics are made.

The small goals — adding to a cart, setting my preferences, writing a thought — are necessary to reach the major goal and, when defining their function, placement and hierarchy, different stylistic approaches can be explored.

This means I can start from a flat approach and drive it the other way, or vice-versa, as I test the possibilities of design solutions in small chunks. The objective is always the same: provide access to the relevant actions, not hide anything important and keep what’s unnecessary out of sight. All of this while letting the brand language, tone of voice and brand character breathe in the interface.