November 30, 2004
BusinessWeek Loves User Experience
The December 6, 2004 issue of BusinessWeek (with the inflammatory "The China Price" cover) is a boon to folks who care about good design in all its components.
The treats:
Pierre Omidyar and eBay
A profile of Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay. And this phrase:
The Web's real power lies in its ability to connect people instantly around the world, so buyers and sellers alike can share near-perfect information about prices, products, and each other. By putting in place a few key rules, such as a feedback system in which buyers and sellers rate each other, Omidyar sparked a vibrant community that numbers 125 million members worldwide.
It shocks me how few folks get this. How few websites bother to utilize the fact that they reside on a *network*, and that with that network, you can leverage the behavior of all these individuals for both their and your gain. One of those classic "win-win" situations. No retailer other than Amazon really gets it. I can't think of a single marketing communications site that gets it. Almost no online publications get it. It's so basic, yet it requires such a fundamental shift in thinking. The web is only in very small part a "publishing platform", or a "distribution channel." The web is best when it's not top-down.
JetBlue
A book review of Blue Streak just once again highlights that a company that considers customers from top-to-bottom will succeed where others haven't.
Treo 650
The technology columnist loves loves loves the new Treo 650. A product that demands a premium price... because of great design. Jeff Hawkins has infused user-centeredness throughout the company, and this allows Treo to stay ahead of a very very competitive pack.
Upsell
A brief piece on how the iPod is leading to Mac sales.
Reinventing a Company through Design
There's a long feature on Samsung Design, which details how ten years ago, Samsung explicitly shifted its go-to-market strategy to embrace good design as a differentiator. That leads not only to the ability to charge premium prices, but to gain market share as well. Yes! You charge more, AND more people buy it!
The following passage made me laugh out loud (though it's a little... humbling):
Samsung's design focus goes well beyond just the look and feel of its products. The company is working to improve the way people use and control gadgets, and two years ago it opened what it calls a "usability laboratory" in downtown Seoul. There, across the hall from where Choi Won Min taps away at his synthesizers in search of the perfect sound, engineers and consumers alike test everything from getting products out of the box to the icons and menus on screens. "In the past, physical design was the focal point," says Chief Design Officer Choi (no relation to the sound designer). "In the future, the user interface will be emphasized more." (emphasis mine)
Well, now BusinessWeek knows about "usability laboratories," even if it's via a Korean electronics manufacturer, and has nothing to do with them being in place throughout the US for the last 20 years.
And Now For Something Complete Different
Facing the last page of the Samsung article is an ad promoting "Basque Country" as a "strategic partner," highlighting such points as it's "first-class financial sector," "a powerful, dynamic industry" (of what?), "modern infrastructures" (we've got running water!), and "a business culture of the highest level," (Is that like the highest level on Pacman?).
But my favorite bit is the tagline: "Basque Country: A country on the move", which is a little too much like "Springfield, a city on the... grow!" Except it makes even less sense. On the move? To where? Is it drifting out to sea?