Apple's Difficulties With Convergence

To those who watched the evolution of the iPod to the the iPod photo to the iPod video to the iPhone, it may not be surprising that one would sync and manage the iPhone, its apps, videos, songs, and photos through iTunes, the application that started as a way to purchase and manage music. However, this interaction is by no means intuitive to those who didn't care to follow this evolution. As a convergence device, the iPhone still needs some work.

Bruce Tognazzini, principal with the Nielsen Norman Group, recently critiqued the current Apple design aesthetic for both Macintosh computers and  some of their peripheral devices (like the iPhone and iPod) at his blog, Ask Tog.

He makes some interesting points, and Apple would be wise to take heed from their former employee and the founder of the Apple Human Interface Group.

Apple's apparent design strategy is definitely in vogue right now: Strip down interfaces to their bare essentials. The problem is that, though this may aid beginning users,it can frustrate advanced or power users.

(Conversations I've had with developers, though anecdotal, support this judgment)

The kind of trap Apple has fallen into can be particularly destructive. It's important for designers, when approaching new revisions, to reexplore who your various user populations are and what their unique needs are. Apple's singular focus on new users, correct at a distant time, is now threatening the very existence of external developers, as well as limiting positive word-of-mouth about Apple products, critical to future sales.

It is possible to increase the satisfaction of advanced users, Tog says, without impugning on the satisfaction of beginners. Hopefully they'll get it worked out soon. - Cam Beck

P.S. I saw this on Usability Notes by Chris Baker and hoped you would find it as funny as I did.