Why content reigns supreme in UX design

In this piece, Jerry Cao, Kamil Zieba and Matt Ellis of UXPin dive into four reasons why we recommend a content-first design approach:

1. Design may impress, but content hooks users
In the end, users will care more about content, not the design.Sites without substance won’t stand.

2. Content plays the greatest role in interaction design
Your content defines the conversation between your site and users. If your content is carefully crafted, you will create a positive, almost human exchange with your user. Regardless of the visual execution, you should always strive to humanize an interface by using content to create a feeling of conversation.

3. Content shapes the design
Your real content will almost never be the same size or have the same look as a placeholder. In extreme cases, this means a redesign is required, which is totally avoidable you took a content-first approach. Moreover, the style of the content—the words used, the types of images, etc.—influences the style of the design.

4. Content-first is mobile friendly
Mobile-first design and content-first design can and should coexist. You can’t really have one without the other,