You break expectations by changing what someone’s already used to. You change expectations by giving them something new. Understanding the difference is key to product design.
You’re reading Signal v. Noise, a publication about the web by Basecamp since 1999. Happy !
You break expectations by changing what someone’s already used to. You change expectations by giving them something new. Understanding the difference is key to product design.
Jenn
on 03 Nov 11Fantastic quote on the day after Asana launched their Basecamp killer product.
Jenn
on 03 Nov 11@37signals
FYI … you blog software has been hiccuping a lot lately.
It started serving RSS content to my web browser, instead of HTML.
The code can be found here.
Victor Scott
on 03 Nov 11@Jenn Kind of a dick move to post a link to your competing product.
medlaw
on 03 Nov 11I write screenplays for a hobby and it is a truism in that industry that studios want something “new” that is just like something that has previously been successful. Business talks and talks about outside the box but those products rarely make it to market. Wasn’t the iPad basically a big iPhone? Let me take a shot at reworking the quote with the above in mind.
The key to product design is to understand how to give users something they perceive to be new but actually conforms to that which they are already used to.
BTW, agree with Victor. Dick move by Jenn.
EH
on 03 Nov 11Victor: And then complain about the mechanism. ;)
Jenn
on 03 Nov 11@Victor, EH
I’m not in any way affiliated with Asana.
Jonathan Clarke
on 03 Nov 11Asana is astounding. 2 years of dev time and million of dollars spent and all they have is a to-do list web app! It may be a very slick to-do app, but a to-do app is all it is. I was shocked.
Is that what Jason means about breaking expectations?
Matt
on 03 Nov 11Jonathan Clarke
That’s be candid here, Basecamp is nothing more than a To-Do list either.
Now yes, it’s a very nice and overly simple To-Do list that I enjoy using … but it’s just a To-Do list as well.
Jonathan Clarke
on 04 Nov 11@Matt, no I think Basecamp goes a lot further in creating something more meaningful and useful. Asana’s value proposition seems quite bland in comparison.
Dylan Bennett
on 04 Nov 11Google Reader much?
Robert
on 04 Nov 11@Dylan You took the words right out of my mouth.
Ebun
on 07 Nov 11Great quote, but I also like that the post says “Realized by Jason F.” instead of “Posted by Jason F.”. It’s a seemingly minor difference, but that nuance helps paint this post as an epiphany.
This discussion is closed.