UIEtips: In Defense of Lorem Ipsum

Remember the famous question, what comes first, the chicken or the egg? The world of user experience has a similar question, what comes first, design or content? The last few years there’s been a strong movement for content first. The belief is that completely fake data, like Lorem Ipsum, restricts us from truly evaluating the web sites and what the user experience will truly be like.

Designers think differently. It’s practically impossible to create an effective design without knowing content size and how it should be displayed. In truth, it’s difficult to have one without the other.

So when is it OK to use Lorem Ipsum? Before you say never, Karen McGrane has come up with a good argument of when it’s appropriate to use it and why you would use it. I think you’ll find the article (originally printed on Karen’s web site), a worthwhile read and definitely, “food for thought.”

Read the article: In Defense of Lorem Ipsum

If you haven’t attended a workshop or talk with Karen McGrane, you must. She’s consistently a top rated speaker and we feel fortunate to have her for two upcoming events. This Thursday, June 28, Karen will present a UIE Virtual Seminar, Content Strategy for Mobile.

Karen’s also giving a full-day workshop at the User Interface 17 Conference on Monday, November 5 on Integrating Content Strategy in Your UX Process. Learn more about her workshop and the other 7 workshops at UICONF.com.

Do you use Lorem Ipsum in your design work? Share your experiences with us below.