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List of 70 Functional Needs

John Spacey, updated on June 03, 2024

Functional needs are the things that a user needs a product or service to do. These are the capabilities of products including basic functions that are expected by customers and key functions that a customer uses to compare products. For example, a customer who expects that cars have air conditions but looks for a car that has the highest safety rating. The following are common functional needs.

Analysis	Comfort
Communication	Completing Work
Completing a Process	Configurations
Connecting People	Controls
Convenience	Cosmetics & Beauty
Creating Things	Creative Expression
Cultural Experiences	Customer Service
Customization	Data Storage
Data Visualization	Decoration
Durability	Ease of Maintenance
Ease of Use	Easy to Learn
Entertainment	Epic Experiences
Exploration	Expressing Identity
Fashion	Feedback
Financial Management	Habitat
Health	Information
Integration	Knowledge Generation
Living Space	Monitoring
Navigation	Notifications
Nourishment	Nutrition
Organization	Payment Processing
Performance Enhancement	Performing Calculations
Physical Properties Such as Buoyancy	Portability
Privacy	Productive Space
Productivity Tools	Protection
Recreation	Reduces a Risk
Reporting	Safety
Scheduling	Search
Security	Sharing
Shelter	Shipping & Delivery
Social Atmosphere	Social Comfort
Social Space	Social Status
Style	Synchronization
Temperature Regulation	Training & Education
Transportation	Visibility

Productive Needs

Functional needs related to completing work including time-saving automation, tools and processes.

Efficiency Needs

The need to make efficient use of time and other resources such as money, space and energy. This is actually a key type of need whereby people will often choose the option that saves them time or money.

Technical Needs

Things that you need from a technology such as speed, data capacity and reliability.

Information Needs

Things that users need from information sources and environments.

Experience Needs

Needs related to the user or customer experience.

Creativity Needs

Needs related to creative hobbies, work and interests. This includes physical things such as art materials and elements of creative learning and culture.

Lifestyle Needs

Needs related to how an individual lives their life. For example, an individual who feels they need to express their identity with fashion and interior decoration that aligns to their sense of style.

Life Needs

Life needs are the things that a modern person absolutely needs to sustain their quality of life. For example, you could argue that some type of access to the internet is a basic need in a modern developed society.