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I had high hopes for this and was immediately turned off by #3. I still can't believe that their are developers who believe that design is just the pretty layer on top of their functioning infrastructure. It's not.

That said, I wish there was a site that connected people with complementary skill sets around similar product ideas.

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The idea is to connect someone who has created something technical and useful in concept with someone who can create a wonderful user experience out of it. These are not always the same people.

I think what he's saying (and I tend to agree) is that you can't develop the technical side in isolation from the actual design. Design is much more than appearance -- it determines how your site works, how parts interact, and can very often give immense direction to the backend.

I agree with your idea (#3) but only as the reverse -- imagine a website of "ideas" and mockups waiting for people to implement them. I believe great apps start with design, not with a backend. (Of course you can write them in either order -- the point is to have considered and drafted a design before starting on the backend).

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