One more thing that’s cool about underdoing the competition: You get to streamline your documentation.
For example, this Sony Handycam manual (PDF) has 40 pages. Compare that to the quickstart guide that comes with a Flip camera:
Click for larger version.
Wow, an instruction manual that actually gets read. Impressive. In fact, it’s almost like the instruction manual is an ad for the product. “It’s so simple this is all we have to say about it.” And I bet there’s a lot less support documentation needed too.
Related: The Flip takes 13% of the camcorder market by doing less [SvN]
Peter Urban
on 09 Feb 09Very true. I had a similar thought just yesterday while browsing the computer section in my favorite book store. I cam across a section of instructional books for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro etc. The books were filled with hundreds of pages of more or less self explanatory stuff. When I first switched to a Mac about three years ago I got a couple of Mac OSX books to learn all the ‘tricks’ and become more efficient in using the system to my advantage.
I never used them once.
The system is so well made that you don’t need any ‘tricks’ to make it work. Learning to use it is intuitive and doesn’t require extensive documentation, hence Apple saves a lot of money on documentation.
I guess there is a market for the aforementioned books i.e. for absolute computer novices or ‘switchers’ like me that are used to years of PC troubles.
But ultimately, the tools that we are using today are changing so rapidly (i.e. every second year a new camera or a new phone phone or a growing number of smaller software apps …) that they have to be made so that they inspire curiosity and are intuitive to learn in order to succeed as a product or service.
krusty.ar
on 09 Feb 09It would be nice to know how many calls they get from people who can’t find the plugs labeled “yellow”, “red” and “white” in their tv’s.
Anonymous Coward
on 09 Feb 09Wow, an instruction manual that actually gets read
No, it still doesn’t get read! :) That’s the real beauty of the Flip. I gave them to several family members (some non-tech people) and none of them needed a manual.
Ben
on 09 Feb 09Wouldn’t it be cool if they preloaded the FLips with a video version of their quickstart guide? Then the quickstart guide could just be, “Press play.”
Anonymous Coward
on 09 Feb 09Is it fair to compare the manual with a quickstart guide? Does the Sony camera come with a quickstart guide as well as the manual?
Tim
on 09 Feb 09I thought 37signals hates the use of lightboxes per the following posting.
http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/592-been-lightboxed-lately
However, I noticed today on the frontpage of Basecamp the use of a lightbox
http://basecamphq.com/
Eric
on 09 Feb 09I’m going to agree with Anonymous Coward #1 on this one… The Flip, like the iPod, is so well designed that nobody ever needs to read anything. Its just pick up and operate.
Matt just save me $180
on 09 Feb 09Matt:
Thanks for the heads up.
After looking at this for a minute, it reminded me that the camera used batteries. I almost threw mine out since I thought it had an internal battery.
Directions good, product design bad.
Jason Staten
on 10 Feb 09Such a simple manual makes it appear even more like a toy.
Charlie Jones
on 10 Feb 09I recently picked up a Flip Mino HD, which essentially has the same quick start guide as the other flip cameras.
I think it’s dismissive to pass off a simple product as toy. Just because something is simple to use, that shouldn’t mean it’s not useful or even better than something complicated.
My Mino HD replaces a Canon DV camcorder that is maybe 5 years old. The Mino is much easier to use and just slightly smaller than the tapes my Canon uses. It exceeds the Canon in every aspect.
Charlie Jones
on 10 Feb 09That should read slightly larger.
Rick
on 10 Feb 09I bought two video cameras at the start of 2008, to video my son.
I bought an $800 Sony HD and a $130 Flip.
The Sony hasn’t moved from it’s spot on the shelf since since June.
The Flip is in my pocket every day.
P.Arora
on 10 Feb 09By all measure I agree with the simplicity of the FLIP but comparing a guide of a product with 100 feature with a product with 10 features would clearly show the difference in the guide as well. It feels more like comparing apples and oranges to me.
Anonymous Coward
on 10 Feb 09Fun that both 37signals and The Onion (“America’s Finest News Source”) have jabs at Sony today.
http://www.theonion.com/content/index http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of
Morning Toast
on 10 Feb 09I think it’s been talked about here before, but toss in a few comic characters into the Flip’s doc and you have some very entertaining and read-worthy documentation. Definitely something more products need to consider.
ML
on 10 Feb 09Is it fair to compare the manual with a quickstart guide?
That’s the thing: The quickstart guide is the manual. That’s what’s so great about it. There is no bulky “you’ll never read this” book that comes with The Flip.
Lisa DiMona
on 10 Feb 09The customization and “design your own” backgrounds must also be do-able because the camera itself is so simple. Who would have ever thought that a piece of electronics would be customizable, that you can choose your own striped backgrounds for, or that you can use one of your own photographs to create the casing? The competition couldn’t possibly do this because of all their features. Simplicity allows flip to become an activity in and of itself. Once you’ve designed one and outgrown it, you need to design /buy another.
Tom Carswell
on 10 Feb 09This kind of approach is great to see! Kathy Sierra been an advocate of this kind of approach since 2005.
Tom Carswell
on 10 Feb 09Here’s Kathy’s article: http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/05/making_remarkab.html
Drew
on 10 Feb 09But this is why more devices with a greater depth of functionality include both a quickstart guide and a manual.
The quickstart guide gets you up and running with the most common features, the manual is there for when you decide there’s something you’d like to do that’s less intuitive (and/or more complex).
Yes, yes, we can spout that “every feature should be intuitive” or “most features are just bloat”, but the reality is that no matter how much we dream of everything being simple, there are operations an advanced user may wish to undertake with a sophisticated device that just might require a little advanced knowledge.
This discussion is closed.