ken writes

Christina,
I was surprised to see this on your weblog today:

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2. “It’s the content, stupid” Duh on an epic level. Why do people come to a website? Because there is something there for them. Most often that something is that mysterious thing called content. …

The most beautiful hand-crafted raku ceramic cup in the world is useless if it leaks. …

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I thought people were cluing in to the idea that people don’t visit a site just for its content. If they did, we wouldn’t need graphic designers, illustrators, interaction designers, and writers – who all give a site its particular look and editorial slant. Given all the choices, why do I read your weblog, but not eightface.com? Yours looks good. It has a personality. Even if every usability blog had the same content, presentation matters. I believe, though I don’t expect everyone else to believe it, that presentation actually matters more than what you say.

Your poor leaky raku cup certainly does has a purpose; why else do you keep it? (Why else would people keep making raku cups? Raku isn’t really suited for use as liquid containers.) Its purpose may not be to deliver coffee to your mouth, but it brings you pleasure in other ways, right? If you want coffee, you pick another cup. If you want beauty, nostalgia, warmth of feeling, you pick up the beautiful one.

So content isn’t king, as we used to say in the 90s. It’s one member of a committee, maybe: depending on the committee’s purpose, it might be the chair or it might be the one they keep asking to go fetch donuts.

Best,
ken

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ken mohnkern http://www.geocities.com/kem/
“do what you’re doing.”