I’ve heard the argument that “lorem ipsum” is effective in wireframing or design because it helps people focus on the actual layout, or colour scheme, or whatever. What kills me here is that we’re talking about creating a user experience that will (whether we like it or not) be driven by words. The entire structure of the page or app flow is for the words.
How can you evaluate
content without design? No typography, no colours, no layout, no styles, all those things that convey the important signals that go beyond the mere textual, hierarchies of information, weight, emphasis, oblique stresses, priorities, all those subtle cues that also have visual and emotional appeal to the reader. Rigid proponents of content strategy may shun the use of dummy copy but then designers might want to ask them to provide style sheets with the copy decks they supply that are in tune with the design direction they require.
Using dummy content or fake information in the Web design process can result in products with unrealistic assumptions and potentially serious design flaws. A seemingly elegant design can quickly begin to bloat with unexpected content or break under the weight of actual activity. Fake data can ensure a nice looking layout but it doesn’t reflect what a living, breathing application must endure. Real data does.