[IxDA Discuss] Innovation and User Expectations

[Esteban Barahona]

"never fail user expectations" is often repeated in the User Experience
fields. Consistency is important, but what about innovation? New ways of
interaction assumes that some or all of the expectations of the user will
fail. If the new interaction may work better than the old one, why not try
it? If indeed this new interaction is better, it is possible only because
the "never fail user expectations" idea was ignored.

A case in study is the Wii-mote. In the interview Iwata Asks... Vol2 Wii
Remote <http://wii.nintendo.com/iwata_asks_vol2_p1.html> it is clear that
the "user expectations" will not only "fail" but that the new controller
will be completely different than the old two-hands-hoding-one-controller
paradigm. Using extentions like the "nunchuck" the Wii controller is a two
handed one, but each hand holds one object, it is more comfortable. It's
goal is to be the "new standard" by ignoring "user expectations".

In my opinion, user expectations are important. But they can be "failed" if
the new interaction has chances of being better thant the old one. "Being
different for the sake of being different" is not the idea, but exploring
and designing new interactions is more important that "never failing user
expectations".