[IxDA Discuss] Usability as Feature

[David Malouf]

I think the iPhone issue is a red herring. Yes there is more, but to do the 
more is less. These are already music playing, emailing, web browsing PIM, 
telephones out there, many that run on G3, and are a lot cheaper.

The "less" that iPhone is offering is in use. Less interface points on the 
physical device. Apple isn't about less features. It is about  less & 
easier ways to use those features.

I  think people should really take the short time it would take to read the 
100 pages of Maeda's book on simplicity. Simplicity is not only about 
reduction.

To combine threads here, Apple may not have the type of formal UCD practice 
that we on this list might "hope for" but that doesn't mean that Apple is 
not centered on the emathy of its users and the users they convert.

UCD is one type of set of design processes and but industrial design has 
been making usable, useful, desireable, successful products for decades 
before the PC and Internet existed.

This is the key success for Apple. Their lead designed comes out of the 
European design schools and this is so apparent in their style change from 
before Mr. I've to after.

UCD is not the key to their success but DESIGN.

Dave


...... Original Message .......
On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 08:58:52 -0500 pauric <radiorental at gmail.com> wrote:
>Jared "The distinguishing difference is when customers start rejecting
>features-laden products for simpler, more productive products."
>
>I dont disagree but where does the iPhone fall in to this scheme of things.
>There seems to be a physical dimension to feature sets, that is 1 product
>with 8 features is better than 2 products with 3 each.
>
>And for some light humour, in case anyone's missed this poke at the iPhones
>feeature list
><http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXNoB3t8vM>
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___
David Malouf
dave (at) ixda.org
http://synapticburn.com/
http://ixda.org/