Easy does not mean it is simple

We hear the mantra for ease of use constantly, but just because something is easy to use does not mean it is simple. Take Turbo Tax for example. I think they have done an excellent job of making this product easy to use with a slick and straight forward interface that uses a series of questions to aid in gathering information and calculating your taxes. Bravo! But this does not mean it is simple.

 

One of the challenges is to understand what it asks you for? Here is an example, in trying to calculate my mother's taxes which consists of income and the standard deductions, it is asking for information never required in the past and no explanation as to why or where to get it. Even more of a challenge is trying to address similar questions for my wife and I which unless you are familiar with tax codes and the like, I am not sure anyone but an Accountant could figure it out. So, struggle we may or reach a point where we hire an Accountant to take care of it, thus the source of the topic for this post.

 

In my view, it is important for companies to simplify as much as possible. When I say simplify, not only do I refer to the user interface from an ease of use perspective but also the peripheral aspects the user will need to address. It is one thing to be able to manipulate a solution and yet another to be able to use it.

 

What say you? How do you assess the usability? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

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Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

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Comments

[Atle Iversen]

Where do I start :-) ?

My company is focusing a lot on usability, and we're trying to "raise the bar" by introducing many small improvements in usability compared to "standard Windows software" today.

Our software product, PpcSoft iKnow, is actually optimized for finding, controlling and optimizing your information (it is a personal knowledge manager/personal wiki/note-taker) :-)

PpcSoft iKnow was designed with 3 core principles in mind:

- Usability
- Simplicity
- Productivity

- http://www.ppcsoft.com/blog/category-usability.asp

We have lots of small usability-features that haven't been properly explained (in detail in the blog) yet, but most features are designed to "just work" without you even knowing about it.

However, most of the functionality is "hidden" to make it seem very simple on the surface
- http://www.ppcsoft.com/iknow-easy.asp

We are trying to "make it as simple as possible, but not simpler" to paraphrase Einstein. But making something simple while still powerful and efficient is *hard* !

In your example, providing the right help at the right time is a challenge, and an important part of the usability. But providing help is also a difficult topic
- http://www.ppcsoft.com/blog/iknow-help.asp

Anyway, this is a very important topic, and I agree 100%% that it is important for companies to simplify as much as possible !

[Atle Iversen]

Hmmm....I'm afraid my comment sounds more like "a product to sell" than "a story to tell" - sorry about that !

I'm very passionate about usability, and I try to tell various "stories" in the blog - just ignore the "sales pitch" ;-)

[Dan Longo]

Products and software that I enjoy using always seem to be intuitive, that is, a designer placed recognizable symbols and buttons in logical places. The best are easy to use on the first try, and one can become proficient in a short time. An ECM should be the same way. The most frequently used features right up front and grouped. Visual prompts are helpful like drop down lists of available search options, a calendar button (is the date stored YYMM or MMYY? I don't want to figure it out). A save button that just says 'Save' right on it. No question where it is or what it does. The 'gee whiz' phase of computers lasted far too long. Let's get past 'see how smart I am' (the designer)to 'see how smart you are' (the user).