Now imagine: you have a business and you want to have a new website or web shop built. You have a clear picture in your head of what everything should look like and what functionalities you need. But how do you make sure your web developer fully understands what you mean? This is where a functional design comes in.
A functional design is a comprehensive and detailed blueprint that describes all the functionalities, interactions and structures of a Web site. Handy, but how do you draft such a thing and get started with it?
In this blog, we answer all the questions about functional design. We’ll tell you why it’s of enormous importance to your business and how it helps you build a successful platform.
What is a functional design?
We just mentioned it briefly, but a functional design (FO) is a document or visual representation that accurately describes all the functionalities, structures and interactions of a web shop or websites. It is the technical translation of all your ideas into an executable plan. Such an FO forms a concrete manual for developers and designers.
From idea to website
When business owners start thinking about their ideal Web site, they often start with a rough idea of exactly what they want. Consideration is given to what pages should be there, how visitors should navigate through the site and what features are important (think contact forms or a payment feature).
Heartbreaking, but a problem arises here. Without clear documentation of the plans, these ideas can be interpreted in different ways by Web designers and developers. This, in turn, can lead to misunderstandings, revisions and additional costs.
Fortunately, functional design can prevent this:
- All expectations and specifications are established in advance.
- A structured overview of the operation of the site is created.
- All involved are on the same page.
- This makes website construction a lot more efficient.
With a functional design, you know exactly what to expect.
Find the differences
The term “functional design” can be a bit tricky to understand at first. An FO is also often confused with terms such as “wireframes” and “UX design. All three terms play a role in the development process, but they are not the same.
| Aspect | Functional design | Wireframes | UX design |
| Target | Describes the operation and functionalities of the website/webshop | Visual sketches of the page layout | Focused on user experience and interaction |
| What does it contain | Sitemap, functionalities, interactions, technical requirements | Layouts of pages, without visual design | Research, user flow, usability testing |
| Who uses it | Developers, project managers, customers | Designers, developers | UX designers, usability expert |
| Focus on… | Technical and functional specifications | Simple visual display | Usability and behavior |
Briefly:
- A functional design describes what a Web site or Web shop should do.
- Wireframes show how pages are laid out.
- UX design ensures that the user experience is optimal.
Why is functional design important for your business?
Maybe after reading the definition of a functional design, you’re thinking, “I don’t need that!” But an FO is not just an extra step in the process of (having) a website or web shop built. It’s an essential component if you don’t want to waste money, time or energy.
Functional design is important for any business for four reasons:
- Clarity and structure
- Efficiency
- Usability
- Scalability
Clarity and structure
The number one reason for delays and failed Web projects is miscommunication. One party says one thing and the other party interprets it as another.
Without a functional design, different parties may have a very different idea of how the website or web shop is supposed to work.
With a functional design:
- Does everyone know exactly what is being built.
- Are all functions and processes predetermined.
- Are there fewer misunderstandings and errors are prevented early.
Without a functional design:
- Can a developer build something that doesn’t actually fully meet your needs.
- Is there a chance of making major (and expensive) adjustments afterwards.
- Can frustration arise from unclear expectations.
By defining all functionalities and pages in advance, you ensure that everyone is on the same page and that your project runs smoothly.
Efficiency in development
Developing a Web site or Web shop without a functional design is like building a house without a blueprint. You start somewhere, but constantly encounter problems along the way that could easily have been avoided.
With a functional design:
- Have web developers have a clear roadmap, making the build more efficient (and often faster).
- Are all technical requirements clear in advance, preventing errors and delays.
- Don’t have to make unnecessary adjustments during or after construction.
Without a functional design:
- Do developers have to improvise which in turn can lead to additional revisions.
- Can delay a project, resulting in additional costs (and stress).
So an FO makes for a faster process, which is more beneficial to your business in the long run.
Usability
A website or online store should not only work well, but also be user-friendly. If your website is not user-friendly, there is little chance that people will enjoy spending time and money on your platform. A functional design can help by mapping out the user flow well in advance.
With a functional design:
- Is the navigation of the website/webshop constructed logically.
- Are important features tested for usability before they are developed.
- Provide an optimal user experience, which increases conversions.
Without a functional design:
- Can make the website feel illogical and cluttered, causing visitors to drop out.
- May miss important features or not work properly.
By taking the time in advance to think carefully about the structure and functionalities, you ensure that visitors can effortlessly find their way around and take action faster.
Scalability
Nine times out of ten, your website or web shop is not a one-time project. The average lifespan of a website is about three years. After that time, business owners often choose to redesign or add new features and additional integrations.
A functional design gives you the opportunity to continue to grow well in the future.
With a functional design:
- Are extensions easier because the structure and functionalities are well documented.
- Can developers add new features faster without having to rebuild everything.
- Keeps the website or web shop flexible and future-proof.
Without a functional design:
- Can take a lot of time and money to expand because the foundation is not laid properly.
- Need developers to do extra work to modify existing features.
- Could your website be outdated or not scaling well after a few years.
By creating a functional design, you ensure that your website not only works well now, but can easily grow with your business in the future.
Hopefully you now understand that an FO is more than just a document with some data. It is a strategic tool that helps you (continue to) develop your Web site. It prevents misunderstandings, saves costs, improves the user experience and makes sure your platform is ready for the future.
What elements does a good functional design contain?
A functional design contains all the key elements needed to design and build a website or shop as effectively as possible. We take a closer look at the five most important elements:
- Sitemap
- Wireframes
- Functionalities and interactions
- Data streams
- Technical requirements
Sitemap
The sitemap is an overview of all the pages and how they are connected. This helps determine the navigation structure and ensures that users can easily find the right information.
Such a sitemap has several advantages:
- It gives insight into the hierarchy of your website.
- It prevents pages from being created multiple times or being redundant.
- It helps optimize user experience as well as SEO.
Wireframes
We briefly mentioned them earlier in this blog, but wireframes are a schematic drawings of the page layout. They clearly show where certain elements (such as buttons, images and text blocks) will be placed.
You can easily create wireframes yourself with tools such as Adobe XD, Figma or Balsamiq.
Adding wireframes to your functional design has several advantages:
- It ensures that the structure of the page makes sense before the design is worked out.
- It avoids confusion over the layout and placement of key elements.
- It helps with early user experience testing.
Functionalities and interactions
A good functional design is not a good functional design if it does not describe how the Web site should function. So this means that the document should contain a detailed explanation of:
- Buttons and navigation
What happens when a user clicks on something? - Forms
Which fields are required and is some form of validation needed? - Filters and search functions
How can users find products or items? - User roles
What rights do logged-in users have versus visitors.
By detailing interactions, you prevent developers from having to figure out how something should work on their own.
Data streams
An important but often forgotten part of a functional design is the description of data flows. This is hugely important for Web shops and platforms where user data is stored and processed.
A well-constructed data stream:
- Determines how and where user data is stored.
- Describes what data inputs and outputs there are.
- Prevents privacy and security issues.
By thinking carefully about data management in advance, you will avoid technical problems and security breaches.
Technical requirements
Almost all websites and web shops work with another system, such as:
- CRM systems for customer management and marketing
Hubspot, Salesforce - Payment systems for online payments
Mollie, Stripe, PayPal - ERP systems for inventory management and invoicing
Exact Online - Third-party APIs
Google Maps for location data or ChatGPT for chatbots
It is important to know what systems you want to use, what links are needed and exactly how they work. This will save you an enormous amount of time and avoid integration problems.
By properly defining all of these elements in advance, you ensure that the development of your website or web shop runs smoothly and is delivered without any surprises.
How do you create a functional design?
Finally you get to answer the most important question, “How do you create a functional design?”
Creating a functional design is a structured process that can be divided into four main steps:
- Analysis and inventory: What are the goals of the website?
- Sketches and wireframes: What should it look like?
- Elaboration of all functionalities: How should everything work?
- Feedback and adjustments: What needs to be improved?
Analysis and inventory
Before you start designing, it is important to think carefully about what exactly you want to achieve with your website or web shop. This means performing a thorough analysis of your needs, goals and target audience.
- Setting goals
What should the website do? (E.g. lead generation, e-commerce, informational platform) - Define target audience
Who will use the website and what do they expect? - Identify key functionalities
What features cannot be missing (e.g. contact form, shopping cart, filter options)? - Competitive Research
How are similar companies doing and what can you improve?
By doing this analysis up front, you lay the foundation for an effective functional design.
Sketches and wireframes
After the analysis, the visual elaboration of the website begins. This is often done in the form of wireframes and sketches.
First, lay out the navigation. That way you know what pages are there and how users can move through the Web site. Then outline a simple view of all the pages. Fill the pages with text blocks, images, buttons, etc.
You don’t have to write out entire blocks of text, of course, but for buttons, headings, categories and call-to-actions it is useful to put temporary text here. This way you better remember that the button on the homepage leads to the contact page and that the button in the footer is for newsletter subscriptions.
Elaboration of functionalities
Now that the structure and wireframes are established, it’s time to work out the functionalities in detail. Here you can think about:
- Descriptions of interactions
What happens when a user clicks a button? - Forms and validation
What fields are required and how is input checked? - Filters and search functions
How can users find products? - User roles and permissions
What can logged-in users vs. visitors see and do? - Integrations and APIs.
How does the Web site communicate with external systems such as payment gateways and CRMs?
By describing all functionalities step by step, you avoid confusion later.
Feedback and adjustments
A functional design is not a static document. In fact, after following the steps above, you are not done yet. It is important to be open to feedback and making adjustments when creating an FO.
- Consult with as many stakeholders as possible
Have developers, designers, customers and colleagues review whether everything is correct. - Testing, testing, testing
Test that all functionalities are well understood and displayed correctly? - Make adjustments
Incorporate improvements before you start building your website or online store.
After this round of feedback, the functional design is ready to be used to guide the development of the website or web shop.
By going through this process carefully, you ensure streamlined development, fewer revisions and a website or web shop that perfectly matches the needs of your company and your customers. It takes some time, but then you get something!
What happens if you don’t use a functional design?
Creating a functional design may seem like an extra roadblock or time-consuming element in the process of (having) a website created, but leaving it out can have huge consequences. What exactly are the risks?
Increased likelihood of miscommunication and errors
When a functional design is not used, developers and designers have to work based on information they have had in meetings or emails. This can lead to misinterpretations of the client’s requirements and constant adjustments that could have been avoided.
Additional costs due to adjustments
If functionalities are not defined or not clearly enough, they are often only discovered during or after development. This means that quite a lot has to be adjusted afterwards. And in most cases, this will not be for free….
With a functional design, you lay out all functionalities in advance, which can prevent unnecessary corrections.
Longer development time due to lack of guidelines
When there is no FO, designers and developers work without a clear plan. This means many consultations are required on small details, functionalities have to be figured out as they go along, and unnecessary delays occur.
With an FO, everyone involved has a clear guideline, allowing your website to go live in a month instead of three months.
Lower usability and conversion rates
As a business owner, losing customers is the last thing you want. A functional design ensures that your Web site is logically structured and easy to use. If you don’t have an FO, an illogical structure or a complicated site can cause visitors to drop out and visit the competition.
Yes, we keep hammering on. Invest in a good functional design! That way you will avoid the above pain points and you can enjoy your new web shop or website after a smooth development process.
A functional design for your business!
A functional design is not a luxury, but an indispensable part of any successful Web project. It ensures clarity, efficiency and a better user experience, while avoiding costs and delays.
Do you want to have a website or web shop developed that is efficient, scalable and user-friendly? Then make sure you start with a well-thought-out functional design.
Wondering how a functional design can improve your project? Contact us and let us advise you on the best approach for your website or webshop!
