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Design vs. content: a survey of ten popular web sites that made emotional connections with the user

Published: 01 April 2005 Publication History

Abstract

This article presents a humorous overview and commentary on recent web sites that captivated the Internet community. It asks the question, "Does a web site need to display design and interface excellence to be popular?" The article is divided into ten short parts. Each part presents a summary of the web site in question, along with a visual sample. Special emphasis is placed on pop culture's influence and involvement in audience perceptions.

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  1. Design vs. content: a survey of ten popular web sites that made emotional connections with the user

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    D.C. Charles Hair

    This paper raises the question of what makes a Web site successful, where success is roughly measured in terms of how much impact a site has on popular culture. Even though Google and eBay are among the ten sites considered, impact is judged primarily by how many visitors a site attracts, rather than by economic success. Ten popular Web sites are briefly discussed, to make the point that an adherence to strict design principles is not necessary for popular culture success. Each discussion includes a representative screen sample from the site, and, of course, links to the sites. Vogler suggests that a kind of emotional connection is what makes sites popular, and uses some of the chosen example sites to demonstrate that standard design principles are often bypassed in popular sites. The discussion is clear, and the referenced sites are interesting. The paper should be of interest to people looking for a general discussion of what can make a Web site popular, plus references to some popular sites. The paper is not intended to have rigorous technical content. Online Computing Reviews Service

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    Published In

    cover image Computers in Entertainment
    Computers in Entertainment   Volume 3, Issue 2
    Theoretical and Practical Computer Applications in Entertainment
    April 2005
    74 pages
    EISSN:1544-3574
    DOI:10.1145/1063723
    Issue’s Table of Contents

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    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    Published: 01 April 2005
    Published in CIE Volume 3, Issue 2

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    Author Tags

    1. controversy
    2. entertainment
    3. humor
    4. interactive media
    5. interface design
    6. internet
    7. web content

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