For the better part of four years, I have been on a quest to replace my email client. I have used this particular client for more than a decade. But it has become old and outdated. Its aesthetics are virtually nonexistent by today’s standards, and its functions have lacked any meaningful updates for quite some time.
Unfortunately, I now find myself engaged in the great software debate over aesthetics and function. And it is not just my email client. People all around me are debating everything from operating systems to mobile apps.
1. Aesthetics vs. Function
The debate over aesthetics versus function seems, at first, to only be about compatibility. Simply put, can a software package look good and offer a robust set of reliable tools? Or, as some propose, does software have to be one or the other?
People on the aesthetic side of the debate cannot stand to look at ugly software. People on the functional side couldn’t care less about looks. They want software that does what it’s supposed to do, when it’s supposed to do it.
Ten years ago, I would have sided more with the function crowd than the aesthetic. But these days, I find myself taking the middle ground. It is not because I don’t like debates or cannot make decisions. It is because both are important to me.
2. How I Use Email
I was recently pondering a frustrating experience with yet another email client when I ran across a blog post from Blazing Hog, a Houston company that offers 4G rural internet service. The main thrust of the post was actually a question: how do you utilize email in the modern era?
Email is my primary means of digital communication. I use it mostly for work. But I also communicate with friends and family via email. Whenever my computer is on, the email client is open and running.
I Need Function
There is no doubt I need function. I need my email client to send and receive flawlessly – every time. I also need a number of tools to help facilitate a better work experience:
- Snoozed emails
- Email reminders
- Send later
- Rules and filters
- Built-in spam filter.
All these features are important to me for a variety of reasons. Equally important is the ability to use email without conversations or threads. Unfortunately for me, non-threaded email is getting harder to come by these days.
I Also Need Aesthetics
Looking at my list of required functions might lead you to believe that aesthetics are less important to me. But they aren’t. Aesthetics are equally important for one particularly important reason: I have a neurological disability that makes it difficult for me to look at computer and phone screens for extended amounts of time.
If a software interface is packed full of visual elements, my eyes and brain have a challenging time making sense of it all. If a piece of software utilizes certain color schemes, it can actually annoy my brain.
I very much appreciate a modern aesthetic that emphasizes GUI simplicity. It is a refreshing change from the more complicated and cluttered GUIs of the past. But good luck finding what I need in an email client.
One or the Other
The frustrating thing for me is that I am left to choose between one or the other. I either find a functional email client that is aesthetically annoying or a good-looking client that lacks the functions I need. I’ll tell you this: the first company to come up with a fully functional and aesthetically pleasing client will win my support and my business.
