Why Products Fail
12:00 PM * PERMALINK * 6 comments
Saturday, January 03, 2009
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Comments:
I think you oversimplify the issue.
On Operating Systems: Mac users are the kind of people who buy free range food. They buy something that makes them feel clean because it has a perceived value which may or may not exist. They are also those people who, knowing little about the .mp3 player market bought into the i-pod hype and then decided to get the computer to match. Vista users are comprised of early adopters. People who will buy whatever is new, just because it is new. Some of these people know what they are doing; the beta tester types, others do not; those who aren't afraid to spend a lot of money on toys they don't understand. This latter group contains the people who tell xp users how awful Vista is. Xp users are those who wait for public opinion to tell them when to upgrade. Just ask them. They will tell you that Vista sucks. When pressed they will say that they heard that Vista sucks.
X-Box users are not computer geeks. I admit I am both, but the computer came first and will be here last.
The Kindle was aggressively affiliate marketed by amazon. we bloggers got 15%, or about $60 for each kindle customer we referred. It also has free internet connectivity. While limited, there is something to be said for beaing able to beam news and books directly to the device at any time.
What do you see as an improvement on plain ugly g-mail? I've tried themes and add-ons, but I find they add more clutter than feature.
Control is only useful to those who know what the knobs do, thus these products all appeal to those who have the appropriate skill set to operate them.
it's amazing how often people fail to remember the "simplicity" solution. The reason Vista failed was because they tried to tack on more and more "solutions" to issues in XP. A product is successful if it follows the KISS principle -- "Keep It Stupid Simple". Things that are designed to do what they were designed to do... that's all that we really want.
G-mail is starting to get on my nerves with the whole additional "plugins" thing -- but at least it's only optional.
Way to go, Mike--this story was on the top three Sci/Tech stories on Google News!
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj299/adman30305/Capture-5.png
I fail to see how an article titled "why products fail" should become, what appears to be, a strong criticism of Microsoft Usability process. It would have been nice to see a more even-handed approach, discussing a variety of companies, including their successes and failures. At the very least, you could have introduced the field of Emotional Design and interviewed domain experts.
Your article leads with very interesting questions about preference of one product vs. another, but you conclude quite unsatisfactorily by focussing too narrowly on one aspect of product design and one company's approach.
I agree that how a user feels is a critical component of overall product design, but user control is only one aspect of feeling. What about elements like "delight," "surprise" and "aesthetic appeal?" Do those not also play critical parts in how a user feels?
I am a K.I.S.(keep It Simple) type person I like Firefox for the raw simple home page (no distracting clutter) I don't like the M.S. O.S. but I am not language literate enough to use Linux as I have tried a couple of times before. I have XP only because they won't support Windows 95 any more and the same will be true when they stop XP support I will then go to VISTA. I am appalled by Microsoft's arrogance by selling the public an inferior product and leaving them to report the problems so they don't have to solve them before they go to market. Thanks for the VENT
cjhills1950
I'm agree with Zog: it's a quite oversiplifyin opinion.
Just for example: take PS3 and Wii.
You do not have any kind of control on Nintendo gadget OS or functions, opposite to the phylosophy of PS3, that also give the opportutnity to install another OS on it.
Otherwise, Wii rules over PS3.
I like to think that, still now in technologic and marketing Era, a gadget could become a must just for...longshot! ;)
And this it give to me the sense (false, like for the Wiimote)of have control... :)
Sorry for my poor english.
An italian visitor.
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