User Experience and Functional Specification

Gil Gruber, MBA

With over 20 years of diverse marketing and sales experience, Gil’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to serial success in various business ventures, recognized on the “Maverick of the Morning” CNN show and awarded with the “Best of the Web” from Forbes. Gil is a frequent speaker at conferences, associations, and international events about emerging trends in B2B marketing and business expansion. His book “Turn On Marketing” is available on Amazon.

11/10/2019
( Last updated 18/02/2024 ) -
Reading time: 4 minutes

A functional specification is also referred to as a functional design specification document or a functional requirements document. This is an in-depth description intended for the Research and Development department explaining the user experience of an offer. This document covers details ranging from capabilities to appearance, to interactions with stakeholders.

Indeed, it can be thought of as a kind of reference point for developers as they build a solution. A functional specification typically comes with a series of diagrams to showcase the user interface in addition to describing possible user inputs and responses. A particular functional design specification may also contain formal descriptions of user tasks, its dependence on other products or services, and usability criteria.

Preparing the Functional Specification Document

Functional design specifications should be written by someone who understands the particular aspects of the user of the solution. The author must be familiar with user-interface issues, web design, and be competent enough with the technology to know its capabilities and limitations. The writer should also be skilled in drafting detailed methods of functional requirements.

A specification document must consider the usability of certain features and visually map out how a user will navigate their way through operating a solution. A strong specification document will balance everything with details of technological limitations and business demands, thus marrying the user experience with various departmental, business, and technical project requirements.

So just how is marketing tied into a functional document?

Marketing and User Experience: What’s the Link?

If you have clear marketing requirements for a product or service, you can begin to understand why a particular product behavior is more important than other behaviors. The solution must address potential client needs. By focusing on functional specification elements rather than the structure or physical aspects, the development team will create a more beneficial solution for the target market. This will enable you to market it more easily to prospective clients.