The difficulty of designing usability into technology..."Believe it or not the people who make technology are come up aware that most of us get fed up trying to use the hardware and software they make. And now some of them are beginning to wonder whether there's any point in change surface trying to satisfy us. Michael Platt an IT architect who designs technology infrastructure at Microsoft outlined four elements that alter for a good user experience in a recent blog affix titled Architecting for Happiness. Products should be entertaining foster creativity or problem solving allow learning and promote interactivity collaboration and community he writes. According to other usability experts however it's not that simple. Here's a snapshot of the debate going on in the blogosphere:move the frowns upside drink: Mr. Platt (michaelplatt net/blogs) uses the example of an error message that pops up in a software schedule. Usually these are cryptic to lay people but he proposes a system whereby error messages are linked to discussion forums where users could find colleagues with similar experiences and ask for back up. "create by mental act that the person was able to find a workaround on this problem on their own. Suddenly an annoyance becomes a very satisfying experience," he writes. When user friendly becomes too friendly: Consultant Dennis McDonald offers a response to Mr. Platt on his own site ddmcd com where he suggests that what vendors consider helpful might only frustrate users more. "I'm not saying that systems should not be enjoyable to use. Nor should they prevent me from communicating with others in the event an opportunity arises to acquire from collaboration or expertise-seeking," he writes. "But if I'm busy and need to get as many tasks done as possible. I don't be extraneous or distracting features in place that delay things or get in the way."Give up already: Jess McMullin goes change surface further in a recent entry on AdaptivePath com where he likens the quest for better usability to giving someone a gold feature for getting dressed in the morning. In other words if you're focused on usability you probably haven't done a good job in the first displace. "Recently. I'm even coming to believe that focusing on usability is actually a path to failure," he says. "Usability is too low aim too focused on minutiae. It can't compel people to be interested in interacting with your product or function. There's only so far you can get by streamlining the shopping cart on your website."Those who can't do preach usability: Scott Berkun (scottberkun com/blog) cuts to the chase when he says usability is "an evaluate of a well-made thing." For all the consultants and experts offering advice he says better products will come from the obtain. "Find the populate who are doing and moving or are able to persuade others to do so. The talkers the report writers the complainers the finger pointers those are the people to avoid: they'll be doing those things forever," he says."
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