Where do you stand on website "form vs. function"?

[WebAward]

Website design usually gets classified into two categories: functional
(read: user-friendly) or innovative ('artistic,' lots of interactive,
etc.). I've noticed that a lot of times sites that are noted as having
great design are a little difficult for the average user to navigate.
Do you think form and function are mutually exclusive, or can a site
be incredibly innovative AND incredibly functional?

[Fred Doyle]

They are never mutually exclusive. The aesthetics by which you judge the
beauty of the site's form are dependent on the goals of the site.

Fred

[mark r]

unless you're brand building where theres no direct financial
motivation to use the site then its function all of the way.. it has
to be otherwise you'd be hemorrhaging sales/enquiries etc

[Fred Doyle]

The implication in your post is that there are only two types of web
sites, eCommerce and branding. I don't believe that's true. At least one
vendor I work with describes 5 types of sites. Besides eCommerce and
branding, they categorize other sites as:

Self-Service
Goal to reduce costs by providing alternative means to service
available elsewhere (help desk, forms, etc.)

Lead generation
Revenue Sources - increasing sales
The inquiry based site you suggest above

Content
Revenue sources - ads and selling of names and other market data
Goals - visitor registration, stickiness

The content site in particular needs to blend form and function
carefully. Information has to be presented in a form that makes it easy
to find (i.e. supports the function) and in a way that lends credibility
and acceptance to the information. Here, form can play a very important
role.

Beyond the 5 listed by the vendor, I'd add a few more. First, personal
sites, i.e. sites that exist for personal expression. Here, form and
function are the hardest to separate.

Hobby sites - Similar to the content sites above but without the revenue
sources.

Social Sites - Goal to build community. May or may not have revenue
goals. The community alone may be the purpose. Form may determine the
acceptance of the site among the social network.

I don't have hard data but the 3 types above may actually outnumber the
hard eCommerce and branding sites in terms of numbers on the Internet.

Fred