Making your user look like a geek
January 17th, 2007 by JoeThis is the fourth in a series of posts pointing out a few interesting products I saw at the 2007 CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
If someone asked me to commit my personal laws of product design to paper, I think the golden rule would be: It won’t succeed if it makes the user look like a dweeb. Think of the segue – great idea, seemingly intuitive-to-use product, potential implications for human transport. And yet, years after launch, how many people do you know who own one? I know the Segue is expensive, but on a relative scale, so are the BMW, the Rolex, the Burberry coat, and the iPod, and I know people with each of those.
I would suggest that the Segue’s real problem is that you look like a dork while using it. It doesn’t make you look vibrant, or rich, or stylish, or hip like the other products do. (If you’ve never seen the South Park episode which simultaneously demolishes the Segue and the entire airline industry, you should look it up). We all have needs, and we need those needs filled, but we’d much rather not look like a dork while doing so. Remember President Bush’s adventure on a Segue? I bet he didn’t want to pick up an extra one for the ranch in Crawford after that.
Many companies at CES were hawking goggles allowing you to view iPod or computer movies and videos without the use of a screen. Some were 3D as well, which made for some really nice effects. See pic at right for an example of what I’m talking about.
But you know what I think of whenever I see someone wearing these glasses? See picture at right– Geordi from Star Trek. I doubt I’m the only one who makes that connection.
So in my opinion at least, the goggle vision people have a problem. How do you work around it?
- Convince people that what was formerly thought of as geeky is now cool. Hush Puppies and Chuck Taylors have pulled it off. Elvis Costello did wonders for whoever makes thick, dorky eyeglass frames.
- Or, change the design to reduce the geek factor and increase the cool factor. The people who make bluetooth earpieces for cellphones are trying their best at this as we speak.
- Or, make the product so incredibly useful, that the benefits outweigh the costs (to your reputation!). In a way, Wal-Mart has done this. It seems like people don’t like shopping there, they just like the benefits (lower costs). The problem with this strategy is that eventually, someone figures out how to offer the benefits without the costs. Enter Target, and Wal-Mart has a problem.
So how would you advise the goggle people?
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Posted in 4P's - Product, Marketing |
April 28th, 2007 at 10:37 am
[…] Some time ago I had posted on technologies that wouldn’t take off because people won’t buy something that makes them look like a dork (see: Making Your User Look Like a Geek). […]