Design couldn't save Yahoo!

An interesting perspective on the Microsoft takeover bid of Yahoo!. It reënforces the theory of my collaborator, Phil, who asserts that great vision can survive poor design*, but great design cannot save poor vision†. From the article:

Designers and enlightened business thinkers alike are fond of touting the strategic importance of design, the competitive edge that a strong design sense can provide to a business. I’m a believer in that logic, but given Yahoo’s less than flattering position as an ailing company subject to the whims of stronger players, I have to ask: “did design make a difference?”. Yahoo had a very good design sense. Actually, Yahoo had great design sense. And it apparently didn’t help them.

* e.g. plentyoffish.com
† e.g. WebVan