[Sigia-l] Coat Hanger Usability

[Listera]

"Dave Collins" wrote:

> It's not nearly as cost-intensive to design software with those extras. Which
> is also why bad software design is even less excusable than bad industrial
> design.

Once the problem becomes apparent (the direction of the hanger's hook)
solutions are easier to find. There's another hanger design I've seen in
hotels where the hook stays permanently attached to the pole (direction
doesn't matter plus you can't walk off with the hotel's hanger) and the
hanger part just snaps into the hook. The trick is to be able to anticipate
and think through a problem.

In the past two weeks I've been asked to look at two online apps in
distress. While they are in two completely different industries, they share
exactly the same architectural/design flaw: the time, personnel and
resources it takes to sign on affiliates/partners/clients and prep them for
integration. 

Because these apps were never properly designed to abstract their API so
that outside systems can just plug in, the integration process is slow,
error prone and limiting. Instead of being able to handle hundreds of third
parties, they can barely keep up with a couple dozen.

Result: literally millions in revenue never captured. Barrier to correction:
the IT group that actually developed the apps. Excuse: "It's really not that
simple." 

Well, in general, it's really that simple, if you don't go for expediency
over strategy. 

----
Ziya

Quality, Functionality, Low Price.
Pick two of the three.