Great design … also makes it easy to ask for help.

Seth Godin’s post today really rings home with me.

“Great design is intuitive. Great design eliminates confusion. But not for everyone, not all the time. The words and interactions you use often have a sophistication that will confuse some portion of your audience.

Why not consider making it easy for the confused to ask for help? And treat them with respect when they do. If you don't create a little confusion, it's unlikely you've built something remarkable”.

Seth’s thoughts remind me a little about our catalog upgrade this past winter. Although its new design didn't initially please everyone 100% ( to Seth's point, pleasing everyone is unrealistic) I think we did make easy to for online customers to ask for help. :)

1 comment:

Erica said...

That's exactly what I thought of when I read that post! I think a lot of libraries are scared to "lose the n00bs" when they release a new service or feature, which can really hinder their progress and innovation.