Blaise Pascal wrote,
�I have made this letter longer than usual,
only because I have not had the time to make it shorter."
For me, the equivalent of a "shorter letter" with
respect to business applications are those applications that are simple,
elegant, and pragmatic. This is, apparently, hard to do. When you find an
application that is simple, elegant and pragmatic, it's a stand out. Complexity
creates huge opportunities for consultants like me to help companies implement
the application. Here's an example of what I don't care for.
I recently downloaded a new version of Tweetdeck to
access Twitter from my new ultrabook computer. The user interface in the new
version has changed significantly. For more than a few weeks, I've been trying
to get comfortable with this newer version of Tweetdeck compared with an older
version I had used, a version that I had found to be quite intuitive, simple,
elegant and pragmatic.
While I'm sure the folks at Tweetdeck are proud of
their achievement, for the first time in a couple of years, I find myself
stumbling around a bit to accomplish what used to be easy for me to do. It's as
though core functions where tossed into a dice cup and thrown down on the bar:
same dice arranged differently. Different isn't always better.
If I were to speak with folks who created the new
Tweetdeck version, I'm sure you'd hear that these enhancements were driven by
users over an extended period of time. And, they would argue that they are proud
of how their technology is evolving. But, I wonder if Tweetdeck users would say
that they are truly satisfied with the changed user interface? And, does
Tweetdeck really care about what users think of their program? After all, it's
free. I remain a committed Tweetdeck user; I'm just not a raving fan now.
Years ago, I designed and implemented an enterprise
application that was used within 3 different technology companies over a 14-year
period with no modifications whatsoever. One day, I received a call from someone
who knew I had developed the application who joined the third company after
having been with the first. He said there was going to have a meeting to discuss
whether or not enhancements were needed and he thought I should attend just so
they didn't "screw anything up." I laughed. Yet, if a business application
addresses the essential business needs effectively, why change the user
interface? You change an application if you must, not merely because you can.
Just as it is harder to write a short letter than a
long letter, it is harder to design technology that is simple, elegant and
pragmatic. I once heard Dave Hitz, a NetApp (formerly known as Network
Appliance) founder, discuss the challenges of getting to the core of what their
offering needed to be and resisting the temptation to add more features and
functions. His point was the technology needed to thought of as an appliance: it
had an essential mission to perform and it should do nothing more. He didn't
want feature creep--he wanted his company to offer a simple, elegant, pragmatic
solution and do it well. He spoke about the discipline and vigilance required to
stick to the core of what NetApp's marketplace needed. Some of his developers
weren't happy with this approach but he would not deviate. Hitz built a very
successful, multi-billion dollar technology company.
Technology must simplify a problem or opportunity and
bring demonstrable value. Technology must not create complexity or a burden.
Create the equivalent of a short letter, not a long one. Sure, a short letter is
harder to create, but, your customers will appreciate your effort.
David
J.
Gardner
is a Fellow of The Business Forum Institute and held senior management positions in Product Development,
Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and
Product Management. He joined Tandem Computers in 1979 where
he was responsible for Corporate Documentation Standards for
Tandem's highly configurable and expandable computer
systems. In 1983, he designed and implemented a
Configuration Guide for Dialogic Systems instituting a
process that greatly simplified a complex, modular product
such that the field sales organization and international OEM
customers could easily define their order requirements. This
methodology satisfied the product definition needs of sales,
marketing, engineering, manufacturing, customer service and
finance. David founded his consulting practice in 1991. He
is a graduate of San Jose State University (BA) and Santa
Clara University (MBA). David is a member of the Society for
the Advancement of Consulting (SAC) and has been Board
Approved in the Area of Configurable Product & Services
Strategy and Implementation. In 2010, he was inducted in the
Million Dollar Consultant� Hall of Fame. Out of
over 1,000 consultants who have completed Alan Weiss�s
mentoring program, only 26 have been inducted into the Hall of
Fame.
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