

Screw design and get data, says Ben Huh of I Can Has Cheezburger - stratos2
http://venturebeat.com/2012/08/23/screw-design-and-get-data-says-ben-huh-of-i-can-has-cheezburger/

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mnicole
So this article really emphasizes how little Ben actually understands what
design is. "But good product isn’t pretty: Good product is product that works
for users and works for the company." I don't know how many times in my
comment history I've said it; but design is not "pretty". Design is
functionality merged with simplicity.

He cites Craigslist, which we've talked about all too often here. Their lack
of a better design was acceptable at a time when technology didn't allow for
it and when people didn't expect or know what good design was. The entire
Padmapper debacle was because they did Craigslist better than Craigslist. Then
eBay. We had a discussion about this recently too - the UX is terrible and the
search - which should be their #1 tool - is even worse.

Now with Amazon, they're one of those sites where the necessity to keep the
design dry for the sake of usability is integral to the business. Even still,
they've nailed their UX down so that you've only really got to use two or
three functions of the site to get where you need to go and then some.

Then he really loses me when he says that this is painfully clear because
people buy Ford Focuses instead of Ferrari's. I really don't even need to
touch this one and I'm not even sure why he shot himself in the foot like
that. The comments on VentureBeat do a good job of picking him apart there.

As an aside, I don't think I've been to that site in years, and I'm not
exactly sure who does - is it below the ranks of 9GAG and FunnyJunk?

Actually now that I think about it, I once had a recruitment agency tell me
that "that Cheez-.. what is it - 'I have a cheeseburger?' .. 'Can I have a
cheeseburger?' site is constantly hiring our designers" and "maybe we should
check with them." I laughed on my way out. When your talent agency can't even
remember your name, maybe design (as branding) is something you _should_ care
about.

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dschwartz88
Good design/product by definition (for the web at least) is the melding of
fantastic graphic design with the needs of your business and users. These are
not mutually exclusive pieces, they all have an effect on your bottom line.
His statement seems very short sighted to me.

