Rather than survey a bunch of users on every decision, the Mac team decided each issue among themselves, invariably going for the option that might amuse a user the most, that would give a user the most pleasure, and therefore imbue the Mac with personality.
Why Apple is great at interfaces when others are not. I like how Nick draws a connection between good UI and ‘fun’. We don’t talk much about fun in usability circles, and I’ve been thinking about it more since I tried Spore on the iPhone.
The two guys at 2D Boy know a thing or two about fun as well. Just moving the mouse in their game World of Goo is a blast thanks to the way your cursor blob stretches and squashes with velocity and inertia. Check out David Rosen’s tour of the game for a nice analysis of the game’s design details.
There’s another nice quote from the TechRadar article: “absence of pain isn’t the same as pleasure.” In other words, it’s not just enough to strip away all the complexity. There should be some frosting in the mix to also make it a pleasure.
CJ Curtis
on 03 Dec 08My, how diverse you all are.
Over the past couple weeks, you guys have been talking about The Drudge Report being the best site ever and why “ugly” can be good, utility is far superior to aesthetics, Get Real, smart, get shit done, yada blah blah.
Now we’re talking about the superiority of Apple based on their pretty and “amusing” interface? Good grief.
I’m a PC user myself (I still do not use Vista), but over the years I’ve owned a fairly grand assortment of gadgets, phones, whatever…all with vastly different UI systems. And while it might be “pretty,” I consider the Mac UI absolutely horrific. My iPod (30GB Video)...love it. I think iTunes is great and so on. But they also overlooked some incredibly simple usability issues that, at certain moments, make me want to throw it out the window.
David Andersen
on 03 Dec 08I consider the Mac UI absolutely horrific….But they also overlooked some incredibly simple usability issues that, at certain moments, make me want to throw it out the window.
Strong words, no evidence. The Mac UI is certainly imperfect, but spare us the hyperbole if you’re also going to spare us anything to back it up.
David Andersen
on 03 Dec 08It seems that so few creators (products and services) give thought to making usage of their creations pleasurable. It’s a shame.
Don
on 03 Dec 08I have this conversation about fun with co-workers when it comes to why I use 37signals apps over competing products that offer more features.
It’s just fun to make lists in Ta-Da List. I like adding Notes to Backpack with the “Add Here” hover tooltip and the way a text field expands out of nothing.
I sound like an advertisement, but I bet all of the readers of this blog can understand.
Sam McDonald
on 03 Dec 08I think it is interesting to see the difference in mac UI and google’s UI. Both are great, but Google takes a very scientific approach where apple is much more drawn by art.
I would normally say this makes it hard for me to decide which way to go, but in reality I lean towards Google’s way since there isn’t an artistic bone in my body.
CJ Curtis
on 03 Dec 08@David Andersen:
You missed the part where I said “I consider” and “at certain moments.” We’re talking UI here…not forensic science. There’s no “evidence”...there’s only my personal experiences that shape my opinion.
So here are two…
The iPod…the “window” I referred to was my car window. I hate listening to the radio in my car. I typically have my iPod instead, so I got one of those radio signal transmitters (very cool). When I’m traveling, it’s typically at night. So I set my iPod on “Shuffle,” and naturally the first song I don’t particulary care to hear. So let’s skip it, yeah? In the 2.5 seconds it took to make that decision, the face of the iPod has gone completely black. I feel for the wheel, “wake it up” and skip. And repeat. And repeat.
And the Mac…I really don’t know where to begin. OK…A computer’s number one job is organizing information, yes? I’m simply referring to the way you navigate your own files, applications, server connections and so on. To me, the Mac has always been 100% confusing and counterintuitive when it comes to this.
My number one response to this is “Well, you’re a PC user, so you’re just not used to a Mac.” First…I had Macs in my office all the way through the early G5 for certain media necessities (which no longer exist for me). I despised them all. Most Mac users I know (obviously) prefer Macs for their own reasons and that’s fine. But I’ve never known any of them to be completely confused by a PC. Macs make sense to a lot of people…but I’m not one of them.
This is the same reason why I use Nikon as opposed to Canon. Argue all you want about hardware, image clarity, whatever…the difference is their software. I can pick up a Nikon and within 5 minutes have a pretty good idea of how to control the majority of its functions. Canon is my “Mac” when it comes to cameras…absolutely confusing.
Crystal
on 03 Dec 08CJ – Go to Settings -> Backlight Timer.
I personally keep it on the shortest setting to save battery, but if I remember right you can extend it to ten seconds, thirty seconds etc. :)
CJ Curtis
on 03 Dec 08Crystal:
Good tip…but what I’m really referring to is that the iPod’s wheel and arrow controls are not visible in the dark, whether the screen is on or off. You have to wake it up simply to re-orient yourself to the controls. What’s strange is that the wheel does not affect volume in the car, which is pretty smart. But someone evidently didn’t speak up and say “Hey, don’t the arrows need backlights?”
David McLaughlin
on 03 Dec 08If they automatically lit up the controls in the dark, the first thing people would do is complain about the battery life that eats up. It seems like “poor UI” in this case is the fact that a mass market product doesn’t cater exactly to your needs.
CJ Curtis
on 03 Dec 08Again, I love my iPod. I am lost without it, just as I’m lost without my Blackberry.
The point of my original response is that people that read this blog seem to look at two opposite extremes (minimalistic utilitarian vs the “beautiful user experience”) and either exalt them or bash them based on the slant of the original 37s post. Not that a blog is at all a scientific sample, but it’s really interesting to watch.
As far as lighting up the controls…a 320×240 display has over 76,000 pixels. I don’t think four tiny spaces would put a tremendous dent in battery life. It could be done with a single LCD bulb mounted behind the wheel.
Derek
on 03 Dec 08I’m so glad you linked to World of Goo. That game is simply amazing. And that fact it was created with only 2 people is incredible. I can’t stop playing it since I got the pre-release of the game.
If you haven’t bought it yet go do it now… It’s available on Mac, PC, and Wii.
Oh yeah it’s cheap too. around $20.00
Disclaimer: I don’t work for 2dboy or receive anything other than a good feeling if you do go buy it ;-)
Evan
on 03 Dec 08When I look at Apple UI, I find it pretty, but it’s the little annoyances that keep me from being enthusiastic about it. Some things feel backwards to me, either because of legacy or maybe just because they wanted to be different.
Examples: Single mouse button (have they changed that yet? I haven’t used a really recent Mac, as in from the last year or so) and my personal pet peeve, “close window” buttons in the upper-left. (Note to Apple: most western cultures read left-to-right. Finality happens on the right.)
Evan...again
on 03 Dec 08Oh, forgot to mention the iPhone. That is my exception to my comments on Apple UI. Though I’ve not owned one myself, I feel it’s the only cell phone out there that gets the UI right. It’s sad to see all the knockoffs that think “oh crap we need a touch screen now ok hooray it’s an iPhone killah!” but miss entirely what makes the iPhone actually nice to use.
Dudu P
on 03 Dec 08“Dog have personality. Personality goes a long way” —Quentin Tarantino (via Jules on Pulp Fiction)
CJ Curtis
on 03 Dec 08“So by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal.”
Kyle Slattery
on 03 Dec 08Evan: At least on the MacBooks, I much prefer the implementation of “right clicking”. Instead of having a separate button, I just put two fingers on the trackpad and press the button. 1 finger = left click, 2 fingers = right click.
I definitely don’t like the Mighty Mouse, however, but the good thing is you can always use your own two button mouse for desktops.
CJ Curtis
on 04 Dec 08i don’t what’s funnier…the old “mac switch” commercials, or the parodies..
Here’s an oldie but goodie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEvYETWVK6M
Rahul
on 07 Dec 08I always thought Nintendo was really good at creating simple, fun UI that set them apart from other “slick” producers like Apple. For example, the Wii Help Cat: a blog post about its UI design implications & another one from a user’s POV.
This discussion is closed.