Form Follows Function
Form Follows Function is a technology and design consultancy in Portland, Oregon. It helps public institutions, nonprofits, and companies do excellent work, with tools that people are glad to use.
The architect Louis Sullivan wrote that form ever follows function. Good technology starts the same way: with the work that people need to do, and the people who do it.
Working together
Form Follows Function works best on projects with a clear goal and a deadline. You work directly with Mattt Zmuda, who founded the company, from the first conversation to the finished work.
Who it's for
- Nonprofits: tools for organizing community events.
- Campaigns: data analysis and strategy.
- Companies in regulated fields: projects that involve working with government.
What it does
- Full-stack web development
- Application development
- Data analysis
- Geospatial data and maps
- Transcription and search
- Open data publishing
- Developer tools and open source
- Public policy development
Public tools
Form Follows Function builds public tools for the public benefit.
Windowbox. Portland City Council, transcribed and searchable. Video-synced transcripts of Portland City Council sessions, work sessions, and committee meetings. Windowbox is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Portland. portland.windowbox.app
Orestarlight. Campaign money in Portland and Multnomah County's November 2026 election, from what campaigns and committees reported to ORESTAR, Oregon's campaign finance system. Orestarlight is not paid for or authorized by any candidate, campaign, or committee. orestarlight.app
New Age of the City. Portland's buildings, colored by the year each was built, where the City's building footprint data records it. A new version of Justin Palmer's 2013 map, "Portland, Oregon: The Age of a City." ageofthe.city
About Mattt
Mattt Zmuda has spent the past two decades in the software industry, with roles at Apple, GitHub, and Hugging Face. His work has focused on developer tools and open source, and he now consults through Form Follows Function. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Linguistics from Carnegie Mellon University, and is studying for an Executive Master of Public Administration at Portland State University.