Be like a BMW M5 – looks like a sedan but very powerful under the hood. :-)

But more than this, I really hate it when developers don’t take the time to really craft the experience of the application. There are lots of applications that look pretty, but really fall down when you want to perform what you’d think would be a pretty straightforward task.

I’d like to see much more thought going into usability Red Routes – really important tasks the user needs to perform – and making these so effortless that the software just disappears. One app that does this wonderfully well is The Hit List.

Thanks for a wonderful post.

Build a solution that caters to the target users’ needs primarily and build add-ons/ plug-ins for the users who want more features.

This has been practically deployed by Apple in their App store and by WordPress in their plugin system, both of which are immensely popular among their user base.

thanks
sb

That’s the rub then isn’t it. Not overwhelming folks upon first visit but providing them what they need contextually.

There is the danger of hiding the more advanced features as well. I routinely look at new apps and can easily dismiss something if it doesn’t appear to be customizable enough to handle a more complex workflow.

thanks,
sb

thanks for the comment,
sb

With that said though, I have worked with a number of people that have trouble with the threaded conversation view and are generally confused by the presentation. Which email am I responding to? If I reply to this can they see the whole thread?

The feeling of less but offering more. I really like the sound of that.

sb

Exactly – the integrations are critical. I’m amazed at some of the horribly complex Rube Goldberg inspired processes people use to get data from one place to the other.

I’m also big fan of The Small Business Web and what they are working towards. I hope that they continue to build upon the integrations that they have put in place – it’s a great first step but there is still a ways to go.

thanks
sb

thanks
sb

sb

Certainly it is important to define and acknowledge your audience and present accordingly, having it also discount the intuitiveness and tenacity of your users isn’t the right way to do it. I don’t envy those who have to find that balance.

sb

I have gone through Salesforce, Batchbook, Basecamp, Huddle, JIRA, TRacs, etc, etc, And most recently Attask. It almost always comes down to – can an average business user do the basics quickly. If not – they loose interest and will most certainly never find use for the more complex features.