One of the biggest challenges in On2Biz development is to manage a complex set of features required for users to manage their business online, while keeping the interface as simple as possible. One of the gurus of Web application design, Luke Wroblewski describes in an article on UX Matters, a magazine for usability titled “The complexity of simplicity”, about why making things simple is so difficult:
- Perceived simplicity can often conflict with actual simplicity of usage – Users initially associate simplicity by the lack of options. A ’simple’ interface is perceived to be one where there are very few options. However, that is not necessarily easy to use. An interface that provides ready access to features that may otherwise be difficult to access greatly simplifies the usability of the system. Managing this balance is one of the most difficult skills in designing user interfaces
- Actions that provide real value — and drive revenue — often have formidable learning curves – It is evident that users who learn to use all the features of the the tool deliver higher performance. But the learning curve required to become power users is steep. Hence the interface has to manage users at all stages of this learning curve. And this balance is a moving target, because as we add more features to On2Biz, experienced users will move ahead, while making the initial jump higher for new users. This is what makes our job difficult, but interesting
- Gradual engagement, the most frequently cited solution for managing complexity, is actually quite difficult to design and build – The approach that On2Biz uses is to gradually get users accustomed to the various features available. Initially, users are expected to only manage their pipelines, then gradually move on to managing their tasks and appointments, then move ahead to task optimization and improving throughput. Managing this gradual engagement of the user is one of the challenges for the On2Biz development team. As Luke says, “In order to present the right user interface to the right user at the right time, designers must track multiple types of users and their various states, then map those contexts to an appropriate presentation of features and content. This, of course, is a non-trivial challenge and, as a result, is often done poorly. If the logic is not thought through completely, some users end up with too many options, while others feel they have too few”
Another issue with simplicity is the perceived value of the solution by prospective customers of On2Biz. Often, the simplicity is mistaken for lack of features. Customers evaluating a business management solution often look for the most features in the system they buy. But often, the result is that nobody uses the system!
In another post titled “The sweet spot for buying“, Luke refers to a Harward Business Review article which describes how:
“Before using a product, people will judge its desirability and quality based on ‘what it does’ (i.e. the number of features). Even though they may be aware that usability is likely to suffer, they will mostly choose products with many features. After having used these products however, usability will start to matter more than features and people will choose easy-to-use products over products with many features. The dilemma is that in order to maximize initial sales one needs to build products with many features, products that do lots of “stuff”. But in order to maximize repeat sales, customer satisfaction and retention one needs to prioritize ease-of-use over features.”
The accompanying graph also summarizes this very well:
Our major effort in On2Biz is to manage this optimal level of features that ensures we have all the “bells and whistles” that new customers will look for in choosing a system, as well as keep the fluff out for regular users who are only concerned about productivity.
, hence its a very stable work force!