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Archive for August, 2010

Simplicity in Software is the Future

Yesterday I had lunch with a 3 year old (as well as various other adults) and pulled out the trusty iPad to help with entertainment and distraction. This might make you cringe at the thought of a sticky, fidgety little munchkin defacing such a gorgeous piece of electronics, but I had my trusty rubberised (washable) case on the iPad which has proven invaluable in the past when contending with my unimpressive gracefulness.

What struck me, though, was the speed with which the three year old was able to figure out how to interact with the iPad. That in itself was astounding, but even more remarkable than that was the ease that the child had in using the various applications that were presented to him.

I had previously downloaded apps such as My First Words, Insects HD, Bubbles, and iFish Pond to inspire children of friends of mine, and they are simple but interactive apps that engage a child’s mind. The key elements that make these apps worth paying for are the simplicity of them, the obvious purpose of them from the moment they are opened, and the inability for the user to do anything wrong within the application.

In this age of small, simple component software rather than the complex, behemoth applications of the 90s, this ease of use is going to become the element that makes or breaks a software product’s future. The days of a software application needing to be everything to everyone are fading fast.

These days more non-technical people are using computers than ever before. It is virtually impossible to get through daily life without a computer. Yet most software applications and operating systems still expect users to understand non-intuitive technical concepts in order to achieve simple objectives.

I believe that the key to success for a software company is to make things simple and easy, avoid adding too may features and options, and simplify. Apple has gotten it right once again, and if we are up to the challenge, the rest of the world can embrace the concept and make technology fun for everyone.

And here goes the remainder of your day:

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Posted in Apple, iPad, Usability

 

Chasing the Sale = Chasing the Tail?

Anyone who has worked with me over the past few years will be familiar with my strong opinions regarding the importance of solid product management in a software development company.  I admit, when I first thought about going into marketing, I thought that marketing’s role was to support the sales campaigns. It took one specific product management course, Pragmatic Marketing, to enlighten me, and I’ve been a convert ever since.

If you read nothing else about product management, read the second half of page 5 in this presentation by Steve Johnson. It is a story we’re all familiar with, we occasionally need reminding of, and could make or break a company.

Basically, when you create software in your garage with your mates hoping to be the next Jobs/Wozniak or Gates/Allen, you’re creating what you believe to be a cool product that will revolutionise the world. But will people actually want it enough to pay money for it?

Once you start forming a company around your cool product, your sales people will sell it like crazy, but chances are the chasing of the sale will result in having to customise your cool product for every customer which makes the success of the company precarious due to slim profit margins.

Instead, by hiring a product manager who can research and identify what the market as a whole needs and wants (and most importantly: will pay money for), you can sell the one product many times rather than chasing your tail in a vicious cycle of selling many products once.

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Posted in Product Management

 

Developing Software for Users

There is a common question asked in most companies I’ve gone to work for, and that is “How do we make software that people enjoy using?”

Well, I have news for you. Most people (me excluded) don’t like using software. Unless we are all lucky enough to do all of our work on an iPad, we’re going to experience varying degrees of frustration with the software we have to use, and we’ll avoid using software that is not an absolute necessity to our livelihood.

So how does a software company counteract the frustration most users feel towards their computers but still release products that users will buy?

Usability tests.

Have representative users come in and try out a prototype of your software concept. This will save you time in your development process, ensure you’re getting it right the first time, and help you to keep support costs down post-launch by making sure the software is easy enough to use that people don’t have to contact your company with ‘how-to’ questions.

There are many different approaches to usability testing, but you can do casual studies with 1 week and a simple mock-up on the cheap, or formal studies with a dedicated usability lab, cameras, screen capture, and an audience of developers. I’ve even done successful usability tests in a corner of a tradeshow booth. Even a small amount of qualitative or quantitative user data is going to save you time and avoid HCI design problems later in the development cycle when changes become more expensive.

And it pays off in the long run by giving you a product that people can use.

For more information and guidance on running affordable usability tests, visit the presentation on Slideshare ‘Usability For All Budgets’

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Posted in Product Management, Usability

 

Preparing for Usability Tests

If anyone in Cambridge UK is interested in helping us to develop brilliant software, and you wish to make an easy £40 for an hour of your time, please send me a message! We are doing usability tests the week of 20 September and would appreciate your time.

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Posted in Product Management, Usability