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WebWord Weblog Posting

Posting Date: November 16, 2002
 

Who Needs a Pretty Website Anyway? (Business 2.0) -- "Galling as it may be to Internet aesthetes, KRD is proving that Web design that's unfriendly to users may be just fine, as long as it's friendly to advertisers and cheap to operate." (Comments: This is not an attack on usability. Instead, it is simply a statement that usability isn't as important as the whole of business. It is piece of the puzzle. Thanks Anthropocentric!)

 

  

Reader Comments...
 

As I said, this article isn't about rejecting usability:

"All sites will still run on a central platform to keep costs down, and the company will still offer advertisers uniform ad placement across the network. If there is one thing Schneider has learned during her short stint at Knight Ridder, it's this: Complex and beautiful may win awards, but ugly and simple might just win the marathon."

Ugly <> Usable
Simple = Usable

(Roughly speaking, of course)

Posted by: John S. Rhodes on November 16, 2002 09:44 AM


 

This article made my blood boil a little, and I answered it on MediaSavvy. Excerpt: "Business 2.0 fails to answer the most important question. How much better would KR Digital be performing if its content management system worked better, its sites were easier to navigate and less ugly, and local editors and publishers had some control?"

Posted by: Barry Parr on November 17, 2002 11:41 AM


 

I also found the article extremely irritating. The fact that they happen to be getting away with it for now is all the more reason for them to improve things before the flaws catch up with them.

Posted by: Matt Round on November 17, 2002 12:46 PM


 

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