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Information Design—Week 3, Assignment 1

What are functional specifications?

From Wikipedia: “Design specifications are the measurements and characteristics of a structure or object which provide for a workable, sustainable, or pleasing creation or construct.”

Basically, functional specifications are the outline of a project. They form the base on which investments in the project are made, acts as a blueprint for designers, and gives guidelines for quality assessment at each revision.

Why would functional specifications change during the design and development of an interactive project? Is this change positive or negative?

New information, flawed planning, or simply new insight can cause a project to take unforeseen turns, which in turn necessitate revisions of the functional specifications. These changes are generally positive; the project becomes more refined with each revision, and the end product comes clearer into focus. The quality of the end product will increase with each iteration of the spec.

Who should have access to the functional specifications?

Functional specifications apply to every development and design aspect of a project. It is important, therefore, for each developer and designer to have access to the functional specification in order to keep a clear focus on what is important to the project and how their efforts should be prioritized.