Good information architecture makes users less alienated and suppressed by technology. It simultaneously increases human satisfaction and your company's profits. Very few jobs allow you to do both at the same time, so enjoy.
Jakob NielsenRead
Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Content is the primary reason users engage with a website, while design and other elements serve as secondary support.
This quote emphasizes the importance of quality content on websites, suggesting that no matter how visually appealing or technically sophisticated a site might be, it is the content that truly attracts and retains users. Other elements of the website—like design and functionality—are merely accessories that enhance the user experience but are not the main reason for a user's visit.
Themes
ContentWebsiteUsersDesignEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on web development, this quote can highlight the importance of content strategy.
More from Jakob Nielsen
All quotes →Developing fewer features allows you to conserve development resources and spend more time refining those features that users really need. Fewer features mean fewer things to confuse users, less risk of user errors, less description and documentation, and therefore simpler Help content. Removing any one feature automatically increases the usability of the remaining ones.
Jakob NielsenRead
Usability rules the web. Simply stated, if the customer can't find a product, then he or she will not buy it.
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Throughout this book, we've been evangelizing simplicity, but ironically, the practice of simplicity is not simple. It is easy to build a bulky design by adding layer upon layer of navigation and features; it's much more difficult to create simple, graceful designs. Paring designs to essential elements while maintaining elegance and functionality requires courage and discipline.
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On the Internet, it's survival of the easiest.... Give users a good experience and they're apt to turn into frequent and loyal customers. But ... it's easy to turn to another supplier in the face of even a minor hiccup. Only if a site is extremely easy to use will anybody bother staying around.
Jakob NielsenRead
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