An important point: software is a conduit. Software has not, nor ever will, grant us the ability to do new things. It merely facilitates actions which we have been doing since the beginning of time.
iPod? Music was around before those shiny white boxes I think.
Skype? Yeah we used to enjoy an auld chat now and again too.
MS Windows? Sadists existed long before Redmond’s infernal OS.
The majority of software in the world today does not Get Out Of The Way. Good software simply lets you “do”. It doesn’t even feel like your using it. Time spent looking for a button, trying to figure out what an icon means or squinting at tiny text is time taken away from actually doing the intended task. From now on, I’m going to think of customers as do-ers instead of users.
The most memorable software out there at the moment is made by the likes of Apple and 37signals. Their software is memorable because I don’t use, I do.
Paradoxically, it leaves an impression from the lack of impression it makes.
