Re: What good is it if you can't find it?

Subject: Re: What good is it if you can't find it?
From: Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:49:12 -0800 (PST)


"Susan W. Gallagher" <> wrote ...

> In the content v. design wars, chalk up two points for
> design.

Your entire point is moot if the instructions are inaccurate.

Content is useless if it is *wrong*. Its still useful it its hard to find. The
accuracy and hence "usefulness" of content does not change if it is placed in a
bad design. Its ability to be communicated to some people may be decreased. But
that does not render the material useless.

Consider my example of the text file vs a very attractive, well designed help
system. Hence:

1. A text file that contains accurate, complete information.

2. A text file that contains inaccurate and/or incomplete.

3. A well designed help system that contains inaccurate and/or incomplete
information.

4. A well designed help system that contains accurate, complete information.

#4 - Ideal (costly)
#1 - Acceptable (cheap)
#2 - Unacceptable (cheap)
#3 - Totally unacceptable (costly)

Hence what is the single unifying factor in #1 and #4? Content accuracy.
Therefore, which is more important? That's right, content accuracy. Simple logic.


As always, content trumps design.

Andrew Plato

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