2 builders who never spoke to each other

Judge design by doubt removed, not by taste

Anything that confuses, repels or slows the visitor is bad design regardless of how it looks. Cheap templates and component frameworks mean a slick surface no longer signals competence to buyers, so structural work on layout, flow, readability and navigation keeps earning while chasing the current visual trend does not. Copying a household name's homepage borrows a brand recognition you do not have.

The method

1. 01

   Judge design by anxiety, not aesthetics: anything on the page that confuses, repels or slows the visitor down is bad design.

2. 02

   Assume buyers no longer read a slick interface as proof of quality, because UI frameworks and cheap page templates let anyone look competent.

3. 03

   Separate structural design from surface styling: layout, flow, readability and navigation still earn their keep, chasing the current visual trend does not.

4. 04

   Do not copy the homepage of a household-name company, because the brand recognition doing the persuading there is not available to you.

What it returned

• Justin names Foundation and Bootstrap plus the dozens of inexpensive marketing page templates available.

• His teardown argued the new Stripe homepage works partly for reasons of renown that no unknown company can borrow.

Sources

• 2020 Year In Review | Corey HainesCorey Haines · corey.co · What went well this year? · 2021-01-01
• How do I build something people want?Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · BTW - design matters! · undated
• Pretty doesn't sellJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Pretty doesn't sell (anymore) · undated