Tips and Tricks: User-centric Design--Simple and Distinctive Designing products with just the right features rather than a lot of unused features is an art.
Designing products with just the right features rather than a lot of unused features is an art. While attractive hardware, easy media consumption and web browsing using touchscreen text is central to the iPhone, the HTC T-Mobile G1 targets Google users with convenient mobile access to services that previously required mobile web browsers. Here are tips and tricks regarding the choice of simplicity vs. quantity. By Dan Grdenfors, The Astonishing Tribe, (TAT)
Simplicity and distinctiveness are essential to usability in mobile phones. To satisfy users, developers of mobile devices must aim for these qualities when deciding which features and applications to include in their handsets.
Device manufacturers and service providers often race to include as many applications and features as possible because they can, and not because people want them. Often the users end up having to navigate through a myriad of extra features to get to the ones they actually want.
One example of this kind of feature race is how manufacturers try to solve the problem of text input. There are several handsets that offer text input through every possible method: hardware keys, touchscreen buttons and handwriting recognition. Does this make text input easier or does it generate a chaotic experience for the user? Who uses all inputs?
