Comments on: Crossing the Chasm http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/ simplicity resources for design, business, technology, and life Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:55:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-596 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:20:45 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-596 Definitely a clear thought Jim. Relevance is a great attractor as compared to irrelevance marketed as necessity or desire. John Definitely a clear thought Jim. Relevance is a great attractor as compared to irrelevance marketed as necessity or desire. John

]]> by: Jim Rait http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-595 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:57:16 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-595 My thoughts on Simplicity and the Apple announcements about iPhones and AppleTV are at http://snipurl.com/17uiv It seems that simply thinking beyond "tasks to be done" to what will support my journey through the day leads to innovation the consumer wants to "pull" rather than new "stuff" the producer wants to push. It takes more effort to push a "wobbly" concept than it does to hang on to one that is being pulled! My thoughts on Simplicity and the Apple announcements about iPhones and AppleTV are at http://snipurl.com/17uiv
It seems that simply thinking beyond “tasks to be done” to what will support my journey through the day leads to innovation the consumer wants to “pull” rather than new “stuff” the producer wants to push. It takes more effort to push a “wobbly” concept than it does to hang on to one that is being pulled!

]]> by: maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-93 Sun, 01 Oct 2006 11:34:49 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-93 I'm a fan of Gladwell's <a href="/2006/07/23/the-tipping-point/" rel="nofollow">Tipping Point</a> like millions of other folks. Regarding his newer <i>Blink</i> the jury's still out on whether it's true that complex inferences can occur in <i>an instant</i> because my psychologist friend <a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/bio_ariely.html" rel="nofollow">Prof. Dan Ariely</a> literally freaks out whenever somebody mentions <i>Blink</i>. Perhaps it can be said that simplicity is a useful <i>catalyst</i> for crossing the chasm. How many such conditions there are may be the deeper question that needs to be addressed. I hope I (or anybody else) can figure it out in a <i>blink</i>. I’m a fan of Gladwell’s Tipping Point like millions of other folks. Regarding his newer Blink the jury’s still out on whether it’s true that complex inferences can occur in an instant because my psychologist friend Prof. Dan Ariely literally freaks out whenever somebody mentions Blink.

Perhaps it can be said that simplicity is a useful catalyst for crossing the chasm. How many such conditions there are may be the deeper question that needs to be addressed. I hope I (or anybody else) can figure it out in a blink.

]]> by: hugo http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-90 Sat, 30 Sep 2006 05:18:23 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-90 I think the chasm can be understood in part in "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. One naive question to ask is, "How is the simplicity of an idea, concept or product related to its adoption via the mechanism that lead to a tipping point?" I think the chasm can be understood in part in “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. One naive question to ask is, “How is the simplicity of an idea, concept or product related to its adoption via the mechanism that lead to a tipping point?”

]]> by: maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-81 Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:59:50 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-81 Agreed. But I did an electronic double-take when I thought that your comment was about an ongoing <a href="http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/05/how-to-slip/#rsi" rel="nofollow">thread</a>. "Beginner." "Average user." "Professional". I think there's another category of user after Professional: "RSI'd" ... Agreed.

But I did an electronic double-take when I thought that your comment was about an ongoing thread. “Beginner.” “Average user.” “Professional”. I think there’s another category of user after Professional: “RSI’d” …

]]> by: brent http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-80 Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:24:50 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-80 Designing a piece of software is a balancing act between meeting the needs of the 'average' user while not alienating beginner or advanced users. The goal should be to provide the possibility for the beginner to become the 'average' user and the tools for the 'average' user to become a power or advanced user. That said ... it's incredibly difficult, and most software would fail on this rubric - but it's a worthwhile pursuit. Designing a piece of software is a balancing act between meeting the needs of the ‘average’ user while not alienating beginner or advanced users. The goal should be to provide the possibility for the beginner to become the ‘average’ user and the tools for the ‘average’ user to become a power or advanced user. That said … it’s incredibly difficult, and most software would fail on this rubric - but it’s a worthwhile pursuit.

]]> by: maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-68 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:33:52 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-68 I like your point about alignment between marketing message of "simplicity" and actual product design achieving <i>simplicity</i>. Maybe I am one of the few people that don't own a TiVo just for the reason you point out. I like your point about alignment between marketing message of “simplicity” and actual product design achieving simplicity. Maybe I am one of the few people that don’t own a TiVo just for the reason you point out.

]]> by: Adam Richardson http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-67 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:58:21 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/09/16/crossing-the-chasm/#comment-67 The tech world in particular is replete with examples of where simplicity has helped cross the chasm, and where the lack of it has caused failure. But there are many types of simplicity, and product simplicity is only one of the factors. Palm's Pilot succeeded because it stripped away the un-necessary (though provided a framework for third parties to add it back in for niche or power users). Microsoft's products are rarely simple, but they crossed the chasm by partnering with IBM to create a simple business choice in the early days of the PC. Also, the product simplicity and the message of the marketing simplicity I'm not sure need to be 100% aligned (though they should not be at odds, but they may emphasize different things). An example is TiVo, where they used a piece of the VCR metaphor to simplify the message of what the product was about, but this spoke to only a part of the product functionality and not the part that people actually found the most compelling. I argued in a post a little while back that they picked the *wrong* metaphor which hurt their promise of simplifying one's life: <a href="http://richardsona.squarespace.com/main/2006/8/3/metaphors-are-a-double-edged-sword.html">[link to "Metaphors are a Double Edged Sword]</a> The tech world in particular is replete with examples of where simplicity has helped cross the chasm, and where the lack of it has caused failure. But there are many types of simplicity, and product simplicity is only one of the factors. Palm’s Pilot succeeded because it stripped away the un-necessary (though provided a framework for third parties to add it back in for niche or power users). Microsoft’s products are rarely simple, but they crossed the chasm by partnering with IBM to create a simple business choice in the early days of the PC.

Also, the product simplicity and the message of the marketing simplicity I’m not sure need to be 100% aligned (though they should not be at odds, but they may emphasize different things). An example is TiVo, where they used a piece of the VCR metaphor to simplify the message of what the product was about, but this spoke to only a part of the product functionality and not the part that people actually found the most compelling. I argued in a post a little while back that they picked the *wrong* metaphor which hurt their promise of simplifying one’s life: [link to “Metaphors are a Double Edged Sword]

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