Stefano

Dr. Jim Taylor did a study on the psychology of technology: UI and it’s an interesting read. I’d like to quote a few lines and discuss it a little further.

Another dimension is actually a continuum that runs from simplicity to complexity. This issue involves both set up of the UI and its use. Some people like very simple UI’s that require little to no set up and very few steps to use their smartphone. Because most people are not tech savvy, the vast majority of users of smartphones want simplicity. This observation explains much of the immense popularity of the iPhone. It’s readily understandable—you just push an icon and something happens—ready to use right out of the box. And iPhone’s competitors aren’t getting the message. Yes, Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Toshiba, and other manufacturers are making hardware that is superior to the iPhone, but they apparently haven’t figured out that it is the UI that may ultimately determine who buys what device. And it seems pretty clear that, however simplistic or inelegant the iPhone UI is (basically it’s just an app launcher), its popularity suggests that this is what most people want.

It’s not just the iPhone, Apple has done this with Mac OS X as well. My mother was a Windows user for most of her life. There was a constant battle between woman and machine. I solved this, buy getting her an iBook and she immediately got into the whole internet thing. She’s on Facebook, Twitter and even has her own blog.

The problem is that Good UI (as defined by Dr. Jim Taylor) results in more stupid people. What I mean by this is that people get used to something being easy, and as soon as it becomes difficult again it angers them. In this sense, I have also become stupid. I have an iPhone and I can’t (read: don’t want to) quite use any other phone due to the simplicity the iPhone has brought into my life. (disclaimer: Android OS is pretty damn cool, but the hardware is lacking)

PC’s have bridged the divide quite well, not entirely, but well enough. Mobiles, however, have a long, long way to go before there is parity between the two.

The final dimension that few if any UIs have really gotten right is the aesthetic. People just love a certain look; it makes people feel special. The challenge for UI developers is that appearance is highly personal; for every person there is a different aesthetic.

So true, i’ve noticed this with a lot of projects I have been involved with. It’s quite important to remove yourself from your own subjectivity when establishing a user interface - I have this problem all the time. I struggle to remove myself from my very own thought patterns. It’s important to always consider the lowest common denominator when establishing a successful UI.

Perhaps we should start consulting iPhone users, you know, stupid people, to come up with better UI ideas

If you have any other thoughts on how people interpret UI and why, let us know.