Becoming Simpler & Smarter

We'll always have a need for simplicity in all interface and product design, because a positive user experience can play a large part in customer loyalty.

Richard Sedley (2009) of cScape defines customer engagement as “Repeated interactions that strengthen the emotional, psychological or physical investment a customer has in a brand.”

He goes on to suggest that simplicity is a key factor in fostering engagement as effortless interaction quickens and deepens bonds between brands and consumers. Similarly, John Maeda (2006) argues that simplicity is an important aspect of design as it reduces cognitive overload, the feeling of being overwhelmed by technology and the complexity of interacting with companies in general. Maeda comments on how businesses should adhere to the Laws of Simplicity in order to maximise engagement and counters what we might call ‘featuritis’ with a plea for ease of use.

Music players are good example of a product type where simplicity of engagement is critical to user acceptance and sales, and there is perhaps nothing more simple or engaging as an iPod: stripped of superfluous functions this product is utilitarian to its core and exemplifies the old adage that form follows function. In particular, the introduction of music downloads has changed the industry, how we consume and store music and even the survival of shops on the High Street.

To some extent Mp3 players were always likely to take over from analogue but the introduction of Apple’s iPod was a disruptive technology over and above digitised music. While the ability to access any track without the limitations of bulky storage was liberating, the iPod’s innovative design has secured its iconic status and longevity. It does this by capitalising on what I call the ‘aesthetic-usability’ effect: where the simplicity of the interface becomes an integral part of the product or service itself. The value of the iPod is more than the sum of its elegant lines and perceived usability. It is emblematic of the Laws of Simplicity: rather than lots of features and functions, the iPod focuses on core use cases and repetitive needs of the user. In addition, the integration of the iTunes services makes it both incredibly easy to download and synchronise as well as being a potent discovery and marketing tool.

Part of the reason for its success is the intuitive familiarity of its interface using such basic components such as wheels and curves. The iPod is a useful sanity check on the Laws of Simplicity which resonates with definitions of usability and engagement:

THE LAWS OF SIMPLICITY REVISITED FOR THE iPOD (Raj and Knight, 2009)
1) Minimal – Strip functionality and aesthetics down to the core essence of the product or service e.g. the iPod shuffle.
2) Archetypal – Use commonly understood elements and features and only deviate where there is none to follow e.g. play, rewind etc
3) Iconic– Weave the experience into every relevant part of the design so it’s memorable, unambiguous and pure – like the wheel!
4) Whole – Provide and end-to-end service without breaks. For example, to discover, buy, play from one access point e.g. iTunes
5) Immediate – Remove all barriers to first time use e.g. plug and play
6) Magic – Make sure there something that makes you go wow e.g. iTune’s Genius toolbar

Article written by Azlan Raj. Thanks to John Knight for helping put this together.

References:

Sedley, S. (2009). Customer Engagement Interview. 10th February 2009. (http://www.cScape.com)
Maeda, J. (2006). The Laws of Simplicity. (http://lawsofsimplicity.com/)
Raj, A and Knight, J. (2009). The Laws of Simplicity Revisited. Unpublished manuscript.