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The conventional wisdom is: substance over optics. And that is generally good advice. But sometimes optics is the substance. Example: your code works, but it’s unusable until a good UX is built. Example: your policy works, but it’s unpopular unless it’s explained properly. Example: your medicine works, but you need to give it a catchy name to get it prescribed. These are really all the same problem. Making it work is the backend, making it pretty is the frontend. Do both or fail. That said: it’s easier to add frontend optics than to invent backend substance, which is why the advice to focus on substance first actually is good advice.