User-centered technology
Posted by Reverend on September 21, 2009
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer sees today’s technology more complex and more interconnected in user’s lives. And he cites efficiency as the goal companies need to strive for. In addition to saving money and other resources efficiency also helps focus on what’s important to getting a job done.
It seems to me another component of this idea is that of simplicity. The more complex something becomes, often the less focused and useful it becomes, even when loaded with features. At the moment I’m reading “Wooden Boats“, which tells the story of the Gannon and Benjamin shipyard on Martha’s Vineyard. They not only build wooden boats, but avoid such modern techniques as cold molding/epoxy wood lamination, in favor of traditional wooden boat construction. Their feeling is the older techniques has proven to be efficient, simple, and lend themselves more readily to repair/replacement over the long term. Balmer too goes on in the interview to express this need for long-term thinking. Addressing a need today is good — but doing it in a way that also create efficiency in addressing future needs is even more important.
Corner Office – Meetings, Version 2.0, at Microsoft – Question – NYTimes.com
…compared to 10 years ago, technology is more complex, products and services span people’s lives in new ways, and our business is much more global. So it’s more important that people can think outside the confines of their individual expertise and their product group and connect the dots between technologies, customer needs and markets in new ways.
Reverend
Andre Malan
Matthew K. Gold