The Hard Button

June 30th, 2008 by Gregory Silvano Posted in Software Development | No Comments »

So, Staples made millions on the “Easy Button” idea.  Just push a button and it’s done.  Easy.  Sort of like my favorite UI line, where the users just want a big button in the middle of the screen that says “Do it”.

I think Toys R Us watched those Staples commercials and thought “you know, I think they’re on to something there.  We should do the exact opposite.”

I went to Toys R Us to buy my daughter a tot-friendly camera.  I found the Fisher Price Kid-Tough Waterproof Camera, grabbed it, and went to check out.  Here’s the conversation (no exaggeration at all):

Clerk: May I have your phone number?

Me: I’d rather not.

Clerk: Sure, no problem.  That’s $52.49.

Clerk: We offer a replacement plan for only $4.99, where we’ll replace it if…

Me: No, I’m all set, thank you.

Clerk: OK, no problem.  We have a special on AAA batteries.  Would you like to buy a 12 pack…

Me: No, I’m all set, thank you.

Clerk. OK, no problem.  Would you like to get 10% off by opening our credit card…

Me: No, I’m all set, thank you.

Really – that’s how long it took to get out of the store.  The clerk was very nice, don’t get me wrong.  And he wasn’t pushy or rude.  But talk about the anti-easy button.  I think the corporate office needs to seriously rethink its checkout procedure.

Sadly, I’m sure I’ve designed and written software that behaves just as poorly.  We’ve all used bad software, and the problem is that unlike my once-a-year trip to Toys R Us, poorly designed software gets in our way dozens of times a day, over and over and over.

It’s a great camera, by the way.  The batteries don’t last very long and the display is a little slow to render, but she loves it.

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