New York Times tech columnist David Pogue’s 2006 talk at TED illustrates an interesting idea: bad user experiences are universally understood. Since we all can relate to these problems does this serve to lower consumer expectations of the quality of user experiences?
I think that in the case of his Microsoft user experience examples, the fact that we can (and often do) collectively relate to these problems, does serve to lower overall consumer expectations. This is a very critical question to the whole idea that user experience will be an increasingly important separator for brands. In the TED talk by David Kelly on Human-Centered Design, it would seem the question has already been settled: User experience is becoming accepted by businesses and has a very rosy future. I tend to find the somewhat skeptical and very funny tone delivered by Pogue to be more accurate in describing the current situation and trend. He describes some good and some bad and some down right ugly user experience examples.
His two-sided narrative seems to suggest that the “jury is still out” on how much demand there is and will be for great user experiences in the digital realm. He chooses to lampoon Microsoft’s operating system and software, which makes sense since they are an illustrative example of how widespread consumer acceptance of poor user experience can harm the idea user experience being critical. Microsoft continues to thrive and dominate its market, while a brand like Palm with its commitment to UX shown by its professional “tap counter” staff, is fading fast.
The current state of brand commitment to user experience is a mixed bag in the marketplace, and this leaves one to wonder if its future may be murkier than some would suggest. The example of Apple’s branding strategies of the past several years offers some hope, as they have made the user experience the most featured benefit in their ad campaigns and branding strategy. If enough like-minded companies were to follow suit, the future might look bright indeed.
