Why Facebook’s design keeps you clicking

It’s awful to use. But usability isn’t the point, explains Rowland Manthorpe

By Rowland Manthorpe

In 2005 Sean Parker, co-creator of Napster, a music-sharing service, visited a design firm to discuss a new company where he’d recently taken up the role of president. Parker, who was handling the startup’s brand identity, brought along its founder: a 21-year-old called Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg began the meeting with a sceptical question: “Tell me...guys, what is ‘design’?”

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