Hey, I’m back. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks (been busy with just your usual save-the-world-type things ;)). So much for an idea a week, huh? Anyway, before I post the next idea, I wanted to get this post out of the way. I’ve been working on it on and off, but it just keeps ballooning because I want to add more. I’m just going to stop now and put it up because otherwise I’ll never get done. Feel free to add thoughts or ideas in the comments!
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If you work in the web/interface development business, you probably hear the word usability thrown around a lot. In this sense, it generally means how easy something is to figure out. According to usability expert Jacob Nielsen, usability is composed of the following:
- Learnability (e.g. intuitive navigation)
- Efficiency of use
- Memorability
- Few and noncatastrophic errors
- Subjective satisfaction
However, usability extends far beyond the web and computer interaction. In my mind it is the cornerstone of great design. Understanding it will not only help us become better designers and producers, but also better consumers as well.
Context, Context, Context
The biggest challenge when considering usability is context. Often we think too narrowly about the context - focusing too much on the aesthetics and the relation of parts of the object to each other, while not focusing enough on the greater purpose. Aesthetics and some of the little things are extremely important, but an understanding of the greater context is absolutely necessary.
Good Eats
Take this example from (one of my favorite shows) Good Eats w/ Alton Brown (note to Joe, when can I borrow that DVD set? ;)). This clip is all about knife sharpening, and at around the 2:05 mark, Alton asks a professional knife sharpener what the best knife is:
From a narrow context, you’d probably consider something like this: a knife is for cutting, so the better knife would be the sharper one. But if you think about the broader context, we’re talking about a kitchen knife that gets used regularly. In this case, the better knife is the one that feels most comfortable in your hand. “If it stays in the drawer, then it’s no good at all”, he says. Even the sharpest, most expensive yet uncomfortable kitchen knive can’t really beat cheap yet comfortable one.
Buying into Usability
Understanding usability doesn’t only help designers. It can improve all our lives and even make us happier. When shopping for products, it can inform us on what we should buy, because the more usable something is, the more likely we are to be satisfied with it. Check out this graph from a recent study on perceived value in relation to a product’s usability:
Graph by Gene Smith
It also shows that a product with a lot of features or a high perceived capability (ie. how many aluminum cans it can cut through) seem less valuable over time if they’re not usable.
Camera for Sale
Here’s an example from personal experience- a couple years ago I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel XT DSLR camera. I was super-excited when I first got it, and infatuated with the resolution and the amount of control I had. But, as time passed, what I discovered was that I hardly ever carried it around with me. It was simply too bulky to take with me wherever I went. Often, I would be at a concert or other opportune photo moment and I’d regret forgetting to bring my camera. I would’ve been better off with an ultra-compact camera, even if the photo quality and amount of manual control was less than that of the Digital SLR. In the narrow context, I wanted a digital camera that would take cool pictures. In the broader context, I needed a digital camera that would let me capture pictures of cool moments and objects. With a slimmer, more compact camera, I would have a greater chance of having a camera with me when I came across these things.
Now I’m shopping around for a slim and lightweight camera with good low-light performance and a quick start-up time. (Second note to Joe, when are you going to take the DSLR off of my hands? ;))
Why the iPod-killers are not
Third example: we’ve all read about the iPod killers out there. Even the ones with a supposedly superior user-interface. But what these devices fail to consider, again, is the broader context. Not only does the iPod have an entire ecosystem along with it - ie. the iTunes store. There is also a challenge in getting people to switch over: think about what’s involved- you have to redownload your songs, which costs both time and money if you’ve already purchased downloads from the Apple store.
Sure, some of these devices may be more usable when placed in a controlled test environment with someone who’s not really adopting it as an everyday device, but when does that ever happen in real life? (especially when you’re trying to get iPod users to switch over to your mp3 player) And what good is a built-in FM radio if I never use it? What good is wireless streaming between devices if none of my friends have it? In a broader context, the very fact that it’s the most popular mp3 player out there is the iPod actually makes it more usable!
Globalization of Design
I don’t mean globalization from an international sense (though that is becoming increasingly important too). I’m referring to what I’ve been talking about this whole time - the broadening of relevant contexts.
This is interesting because the standard definition (as mentioned above) of usability is about how easy it is to accomplish a certain goal. A lot of times though, we’re already inundated with things and objects that accomplish the same goals for us. And if something is good enough, we’re less likely to try the new stuff. This is known as satisficing. So what’s becoming increasingly important is how easy it is to incorporate it into a person’s everyday life. Designing within a local system is important. But design within a more global system is absolutely vital. Great global design can succeed without great local design, but not the other way around. Just look at myspace.
One more example of how expanding context can make all the difference from the consumer-side:
A good t-shirt might be a cool-looking one, but a better, more usable t-shirt is a cool-looking t-shirt that goes with the rest of your wardrobe.
I totally agree with alot of what your saying here. Basically, I think it all comes down to putting a bit more thought into the descions you make on a day to day basis. Realising what is really essential in YOUR life and coming to terms with the bare nessecities. Alot of what John Maeda says ties well with your views.
STOP PUSHING ME.
;)
The Good Eats I’ll get to you “soon”…probably just burn copies for you and send it over to the island. As for the camera, we talked about that yesterday.
I feel so special, having been mentioned twice!
I was looking to buy me a canon rebel so I could take it around the city and take photographs but now your post is making me reconsider…
i think a symptom of many manufacturers is to actually slice a category of design or product too thin (no pun intended). with a plethora of products in any given category, companies believe that in order to make their particular offering stand out, it must do something more than its competitors. thus, extraneous features get added on…like a coffee maker with a radio. however, instead of slicing deeper, thinner cuts, as you mentioned these companies would do better to take a larger step back and look at very global ideas for design in particular categories. in most instances a simpler solution is always better than a complicated one. but this only something you can find when you look at a very large picture. do one thing and do it well.
Ibraheem - you read Maeda’s new book yet? I’ve been meaning to pick it up.
gangsta - it’s still a great camera, I guess the question to ask yourself is how often you’re going to go picturetaking for the sake of picturetaking, and if you carry a bag with you all the time…
adam - right on!
I really dig the whole “satisficing” notion. It makes sense. Although people today like to think of themselves as “multi-taskers”, don’t you think that one of the causes of our diminishing attention spans is just that? - the more “stuff” thats out there, the more “stuff” that we try to soak in, the less relevant it all becomes because of dimishing opportunity to invest in each and every thing. And so, as a result we resort to just getting enough. And maybe that’s also why people aren’t as happy anymore either - because they cant find something that will satisfy them. But if only we could all learn from the beginning that we don’t need “more” to be satisfied.
On another note, do you think that as consumers become more savvy, that graph will probably show a smaller gap btn product capability and usability, and maybe even one day in the future be one overlapping line? at least the androids should be able to accomplish that…
Interesting thought Nari- I’m reading a book right now called The Paradox of Choice, and it argues that exact point. Too much choice can be a very bad thing… and with this constant choice overload, that’s why gross national happiness has been declining. If we all learn to satisfice, then we’d all be happier.
Good question about the overlapping lines too. I don’t know if they’ll overlap, but they definitely could get closer together. Then again, they could get further apart too. Technology has this way of pacing ahead quicker than it takes for us to learn to use what we have.
I think that’s the reason people fall in love with Apple (myself included)- Apple delivers this amazing experience that’s *consistent*. We know what to expect from their products, and we feel like there’s less of a chance we’ll get surprised (in a bad way) and be confused by Apple. (I’d elaborate even more but I think I’ll save it for a blog entry ;))
Jack - I haven’t read his book yet, I’ll amazon it to see what it’s about. What have you heard about it?
Hey Ibraheem- It’s basically about how too much choice actually interferes with our happiness. I’ll try to post a review of it soon!
Interesting, I read “Paradox of choice” which deals with a very similar notion.
Oh my bad - I thought you were asking about Paradox of Choice, not Maeda’s book. His book is completely different - I have it on my desk but I haven’t read it yet. It seems to be about the characteristics of simple things.
take camera for example, only two kinds of camera to me: one is taking “pictures”, the other is taking “moments”.so for the “picture”, i need a good quality camera; but for the “moment”, what i need is a mobile phone which can take clear pictures.
about the usability or the context you mentioned, it is the definition of a thing to me. different way to view one thing, we get the different thing.
i believe Apple never think they are producing a device to play music, they are building up a music-share system. that’s why they are running ahead and growing stronger with more variety.
hope you can understand, my english is not good.
Your english is great! I totally agree, Apple does an amazing job of understanding context. One smaller example is the Software Update in OS X. If you run it and it doesn’t find any new software updates, it closes the updater automatically for you because there’s nothing else you really need to do on that screen.
isn’t the way it should be? i don’t see any special thing about the updater.
what i am interested in Apple is what it defines itself in china market. you know, it’s a big cake and hard to dissolve. Apple has taken its first step in china, waiting to see what happens next.
by the way, according to your self introduction and surname, 我们应该是同乡。 :)
That IS the way it should be! But sadly, a vast majority of companies don’t seem to take those little things into consideration. I don’t understand the overseas market well enough to comment on Apple’s role in it, and my Chinese isn’t even half as good as your english :) But if you’re saying what I think you’re saying, then thanks for the comments on my blog! It’s always good to talk with like-minded people
your chinese is not so bad at least you can recognise that’s chinese not other planet’s language:)
i want to know more so i learn english and read english to learn what other minds are thinking.
there are still some small problems when i read your words because my english is not so good. but it’s ok, they are good material to learn english.
p.s when you want to learn chinese, maybe i can help. :)