Categories
Improvement UI and UX

You can’t always have what you want

This entertaining diagram that I saw on LinkedIn this morning touched a chord.

Interfaces

Like all good humour it makes a critical point, or perhaps even several points.

It certainly typifies different approaches. Apple’s fanatical insistence that anything can be achieved with a simple interface. Google’s equally fanatical insistence that everything can be achieved with a simple search interface. And the common application development teams resigned insistence that you can just throw all the data capture onto a page and call it a business application.

The thing is that often Apple (who routinely make things incredibly difficult by trying to make things too simple) and Google (who make things undiscoverable by finding everything) often overlook that fact that some business processes are actually complicated.
The Einstein Principle applies (http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?EinsteinPrinciple).

Simple interfaces are fantastic for simple needs. It is quite likely that an 80:20 rule applies and the majority of activities can be done with a couple different modes of interaction via a single button. But if you try to use a simple approach for complex things the user interaction problem / process becomes more complicated not less.

Powerful search is fantastic at finding things that are commonly found. It is quite likely that an 80:20 rule applies and the majority of searches discover what you need in the first page all so of results with a simple search. But if you try to use a simple search to find complex things findability suffers a new have to scroll through thousands of pages. Findability is different to search and often requires more sophistication and just pressing the Go button.

Equally, complex processes are often made more complicated to lazy, uninformed or misinterpreted user interface design. It is quite likely that the 80:20 rule applies and the majority of the technical functionality is be impressive but if the user experience is poor then the application is poor and the benefits are constrained.

The solution has to match the problem and not be driven by dogma.

We want simple, we want elegant, we want discoverable and we mostly don’t want what IT develop; but sometimes we can’t have everything that we want.

 

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By Simon

Simon Hudson is an entrepreneur and health sector specialist. He formed Cloud2 in 2008 following a rich career in the international medical device industry and the IT industry. Simon’s background encompasses quality assurance, medical device development, international training, business intelligence and international marketing and health related information and technology.

Simon’s career has spanned both the UK and the international health industry, with roles that have included quality system auditing, medical device development, international training (advanced wound management) and international marketing. In 2000 he co-founded a software-based Clinical Outcomes measurement start-up in the US. Upon joining ioko in 2004 he created the Carelink division and, as General Manager, drove it to become a multi-million pound business in its own right.
In 2008, Simon founded Cloud2 in response to a need for a new way of delivering successful projects based on Microsoft SharePoint. This created the first commercial ‘Intranet in a Box’ solution and kickstarted a new industry. He exited that business in 2019, which has continued to grow as a leading provider of Power BI and analytics solutions.

In 2016, he co-founded Kinata Ltd. to enable effective Advice and Guidance in the NHS and is currently guiding the business beyond its NHS roots to address needs in Her Majesty’s Prisons and in Australasia.

In 2021, Simon founded Novia Works Ltd.

In 2021 he was invited to become Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Hull.

In 2022 he was recognised as a Microsoft MVP.

In 2025 he founded Sustainable Ferriby CIC, a community energy not-for-profit to develop energy generation, energy & carbon reduction, and broader sustainability & NetZero projects in the West Hull villages.

Simon has had articles and editorials published in a variety of technology, knowledge management, clinical benchmarking and health journals, including being a regular contributor to PC Pro, as well as a presenter at conferences. He publishes a blog on areas of interest at noviaworks.co.uk. He is a co-facilitator of the M365 North User Group. He is a lead author and facilitator on the Maturity Model for Microsoft 365. He is the author of two patents relating to medical devices. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physical Science and a PGCE in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Hull.

Simon is passionate about rather too many things, including science, music (he plays guitar and octave mandola), skiing, classic cars, narrowboats, the health sector, sustainability, information technology and, by no means least, his family.

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