Let me tell you what problems I’d been having lately. I am having some challenges using my blackberries, my new ThinkPad with the new Vista, Office 2007, a dozen of special applications that I run and almost everything single remote control in my house (last count 26). Either I am too busy and impatience or these devices are simply not designed for people like me. At least my Mercedes is not like my other devices and there’s nothing I need to learn every time when I get a new one. Thanks to German design and engineering.
As chips get smaller and cheaper and memory devices get larger, engineers are cramming more features and functions into all these devices, resulting in level of complexity that we have never encountered. I wonder how many products were returned to retailers (estimated at around 10%) not because the products are not working but simply because no one knows how to use them. The same thing can be applied to the monthly statements I received from my cell phone carriers, it usually takes a phone call to find out what’s a column is all about. Is this a strategy so we don’t ask about the amount billed or they want to keep the employment level for their call-centers?
I think too many companies are endangering their market positioning by adding too many unnecessary features. The best word to describe it is that we are all “choking” on technology. Everyone wants to pack as many features as possible as long it doesn’t add cost to manufacture, there’s seems to be a small advantage on the point of sale level when some customer compare features. They really need to consider the idea that “less is more” and marketing should steer customer away from making purchase decisions on features alone. The number of features should based on the users' goals that allow them to effectively get their “jobs” done.
The best way to solve these problems up-front is prototyping and product-in-use research so engineers and designers can correct any misleading information market research brought out. In a focus group, everyone will tell you they want everything in one device, assuming usability was not a factor. Usability is not a factor, it is the key central idea.
The other side of the challenge is that “one trick ponies” are a hard sell. The marketers demand marketing points from the designers, the designers try, but the more stuff they add makes the end product an unmanageable morass of go here, back up, press this to open that a few clicks of this to arrive there. Then somebody slaps a big headliner in the ad proclaims, in really big letters “MANY GREAT NEW FEATURES!” and the clueless consumers line up to buy the stuff.
Many readers of this blog also are big believers in simplicity. Making something easier to understand without removing value or meaning is an art. I don’t think that can be argued. The challenge is how to remain as simple and easy as possible and not removing value or meaning from them.
The role of usability strategist is so important these days and its job is to create that balance, bringing a human-centric approach to technology; making things as easy to understand and use as possible, while at the same time maintaining their value and brand meaning. The world needs more usability strategists.
But complexity isn’t the only a design and technology concern for me. The same goes for business of strategy consulting. I often come across deliverables from some large (tier four) consulting firms, it is amazingly painful just to figure out they are trying to say or any logic behind it. I’ve always insisted we structure our processes so that we’re as easy to work with as possible. We do our very best to eliminate unneeded complication (including buzz-words) from it. Hopefully to the delight of our clients!
