Joy! to use

I’m in a certain mood for simplicity after the past few months of wrapping my brain around complex software solutions and coding at school.

I’ve just finished reading Don’t Make me Think (quick rundown: the best web usability primer, by Steve Krug). I’m now on to the Design of Everyday Things (quick rundown: a fun and informative introduction to the design of simple objects and the psychology of how humans learn how to use them, by Don Norman).

Both of these texts praise the value of removing barriers to the experience of interacting with a particular thing. Norman says that a door should be implicitly easy to use, and you shouldn’t have to consciously think, “push or pull?”. Krug says that the search feature of a website should be nothing more than an open box with a ‘go’ button, without filters or decisions or drop-down options. Both of these declarations seem obvious and straightforward, but often times these two simple tasks are aggravatingly convoluted. To boot, the negative feedback (which is what happens when you actually perform this task incorrectly) is usually subconscious and directed at oneself (i.e. “gosh I’m silly for not knowing how to…”).

But, when you hit an experience that is simplistically brilliant, do you notice? Do you have an iPod and appreciate its subtle but effective design? Or do you ignore the shape and features entirely and absentmindedly hit play before you slide it in your pocket? Either way, you win.

I have a juicer that is made up of 8 removable parts. Not only do I have to hand wash all those parts every time I use it, I also have to remember how they assemble each time I put it back together, all the while trying not to self-mutilate myself with the juicer’s blades and cutters. Why? I dread and avoid the otherwise useful tool, and I lose out on fresh juice.

The idea of user experience, or user-focused design, is a central component of the web 2.0 experience. It even has its own really great descriptive term – joy of use. I like the idea of making things more human-friendly and undemanding. We, the Public, are getting tired of multiple-release versions with new and improved! features and bible-size manuals.

For a rare glimpse of the joy of use, check out the iPhone release experience last week. Wish I was there.

Is Second Life the second coming?

Humans have always desired an escape. When work gets too hectic, we retreat into web surfing, celebrity trash, personal Facebook stalking. In the midst of a heavy family situation, what better response than to sink into a mindless movie or b a voyeur into someone’s (seemingly) more interesting life via their personal blog, thereby avoiding the situation entirely? It’s why video games, Dungeons and Dragons and Solitaire is so popular and addictive. It’s better than real life.

And that’s where Second Life comes in.

If you don’t know Second Life, you’ve missed the media frenzy that a lot of companies have jumped on in the past year or so to make some real world dollars in a virtual environment. While ‘everybody’s doing it’ isn’t the best reason to jump on the bandwagon, the opportunity to run your business in a virtual, 3D world where inhibitions are removed and creativity is limited only by your own imagination is very attractive for a small company toiling in the real world.

Working with a small t-shirt company, we’re trying to launch an online presence ‘in-world’. That’s what it’s called when you log in and the full screen of vivid, 3D images take over your computer screen. For most people, I assume it feels like falling into Alice’s rabbit hole. For me, not so much. For my client, I’m considering how I can break my news to him – that Second Life seems pretty second rate to me.

First of all, I can’t get past the tutorial. To experience the fullness of Second Life, you actually have to have your ‘license’ – the completion of a series of tutorials that prove you can navigate around, chat, and dress yourself. I’m a competent computer user and I’m literate, which should be the only qualifications required to pass. Apparently, time is another ingredient for success – you need a lot of it to get around.

Secondly, there are a lot of people selling t-shirts in-world already. Is it possible that we’re too late to the party? Overexposure and saturation is a problem everywhere. Second Life seems to have been infected by corporate names and brands in record time. Sadly, people are entering Second Life to escape their first and they’re encountering the same level of bombardment. Eroding your brand by pushing sales in a hostile environment may not be worth the bits and bytes and effort.

At the end of the day, successful companies have clarity of focus, allowing them to achieve their well-defined goals. This will be my conversation starter. Focus on your first life! Thankfully, someone else shares my sentiments.