Home > Technobuddy > Archives > 2007 > August > 01
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Designed to be easy to use
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I once had an editor who got so wound up about the complexity of technology that his words would blur together. It was like hearing Donald Duck complain.
“I don’t have to read my new car’s manual to drive it,” he would say. “I don’t need to buy magazines about cars to know what to do. Why aren’t computers more intuitive.”
I would always give him the usual reasons - the complexity of software and hardware working together, the relative newness of computing compared to automobiles. All that’s correct. But I also knew what he was talking about.
You probably do too. My HDTV has more controls than the Cessna 150 I once flew; I end up taking pictures of my foot when I want to make a phone call with my cell, and my wife still has trouble using the DVR to record a show.
That’s why efforts like these - linked here - to acknowledge the importance of design (and I’m not just talking about making a device look good when I say design) in creating good technology.
Really elegant engineering to me is creating a product that operates in a logical way. We aren’t there yet but it’s sure worth a try.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: General
