No mention of Youtube. Either you don’t get it, or you forgot. Both inexcusable.

Perhaps you’ve forgotten that Google didn’t build or make youtube – they just brought it, and it’s the content that makes it compelling, which google doesn’t create for the most part.

That said, I think the pace with which Google is updating its critical products is so astounding that there is a good chance that this won’t remain a problem for long. I happen to be using a Samsung Fascinate (not even on Froyo yet) and its still a great product.

The real question is whether Google can continue to rollout product updates at such a rapid rate once they have to incorporate greater input and iterations from product designers. We shall see.

A key point Om implied, but didn’t say explicitly was that consumer confidence in a brand is often defined by whether its products are considered sexy, easy to use, elegant, hip, etc. Apple gets it. Sony gets it. Audi gets it. Google needs to learn how to get it….fast. I remain confident they’ll get there sooner than we think.

Fair enough.

I’m experiencing the exact opposite in my environment right now. Middle management ignores testing results, fights against basic usability best practices, and refuses to accommodate our users’ core 3-4 tasks.

The examples you cite for Google again seem to me to be basic leadership principles being ignored, but I think we agree on both the symptoms and the need for change. No need to discuss it to death. :)

Cheers

No, not at all. Have worked with many engineering-oriented companies. Luckily they have all understood that engineering is just part of the equation. I don’t think Google understands that “at the core” so will have a very hard time changing. They only feel comfortable with data.

If I recall correctly, the straw that broke the camels back and drove Bowman out was when they tested all those blue (web) colors. In that case, you can’t realistically even test those in the real world as monitors vary so much. What one person sees is not what the next does. It’s this over reliance on numbers and “hard” data that kills them. So much is “soft”, right brainy things and they – at their core – can’t deal with those.

Larry & Sergey probably made a mistake hiring Erik – He was a kindred engineering spirit but unsuited to what’s needed overall.

I can see it as a matter of perspective. I see it as the engineers are doing their job. Leadership (or product/UX design if they exist) is failing to let the non-engineers do their jobs.

If I read you correctly, you expect engineers how to do non-engineering tasks, and I disagree with that.

Cheers