By Joey Gabra
Special to YNOT

An idea can come within a split-second or developed over time — but any idea is only as good as how well it can be presented. Studies on preferences, test groups, several QA sessions and even more revisions are often necessary to get everything just right. Not to advocate judging a book by its cover, but the reality is that with so many sources of stimuli all around a viewer, it’s easy to get distracted.

That’s why so much money is invested on how to best present specific content — because any idea suffers greatly from the lack of interest.

Web Design and Content

For every great idea should come an even greater design. Text content in itself cannot guarantee success, just as a design with all the bells and whistles thrown in will only work if it compliments the actual text.

For the purpose of this article, let’s refer to “content” in a broad sense: front end content like text, images, video and/or audio, plus back end content like the metadata required for SEO. “Web design” in this discussion will be color schemes, layout, compatibility and navigation.

Content has been the reigning king of the internet for the simple fact that people have an inborn curiosity that refuses to be satisfied (and is easily distracted). That’s how a person goes from researching on free web templates online to suddenly learning about skeuomorphism — only to next find himself watching videos of nematodes coming out of spiders and praying mantises (or researching on what the plural of “mantis” really is – mantes?!)

Web design, and in fact all designs, compliment content mainly by making sure a person’s curiosity (or potential customer/user) does not end up losing to distraction. A great design aims to create a sense of focus and presence that minimizes a site’s bounce rate.

Finding Middle Ground

Web design and content should work fluidly together in what can be called the “perfect form.” The end result does not overload the senses nor underwhelm the viewer. It’s all about finding the middle ground, which at times would mean sacrificing some design elements in favor of the content and vice versa.

The middle ground of course has its limits. There are some features and elements that cannot be sacrificed or overlooked — things like ease of navigation, SEO compliance, responsive design and cross-browser compatibility. This is a matter of effective content and functional web design.

All-in-all, creating the perfect form is a mix of balanced content and design with full consideration of user/consumer preferences.

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If you’re in the mobile sector of the adult industry, you’ve likely heard of Joey Gabra. His list of credentials includes previous employment as managing director for Affil4You, and marketing manager for Twistbox Entertainment and American Mobile Ventures. Gabra has built strong business relationships by delivering what he promises, which often comes at his own expense. Combining humor with sharp business acumen has made him respected by both peers and competitors, leading to numerous industry awards. In 2015 and 2016, he was named Businessman of the Year by the YNOT Awards. These days, he’s applying his expertise and expanding his reach as solutions director for New Media Services. He may be reached at jg@newmediaservices.com.au.