[Sigia-l] RE: Re: IA and semiotics - and standards?

[Jonathan Bieley]

If we're going to talk about feature bloat, I think this is an excellent 
example of where IA interfaces with business, particularly marketing. 
These "bloated" features are not about tasks, goals, and other normal IA 
issues. 

They are about the feeling the user has when viewing the product. That 
people do not cook in the microwave - that there will never be a scenario 
to "Cook Thanksgiving turkey" is beside the point. The perceived value of 
the potential feature is high enough to encourage many/most customers to 
spend money on larger/more powerful/feature rich microwaves that they do not 
need. (And this can have a significantly positive impact on profit margins.) 
Likewise for SUV's with respect to off-roading. Note that this is very 
different from the obsession that Detroit has with cup-holders in 
vehicles. "Where do I put my cup?" is a task for most people in a car - 
regardless of driver, front seat, back seat; going on a long trip, going on 
a short trip; adult, child; etc. On a more personal note: how many people on 
this list have ever purchased computer that offered "expandability" but then 
never expanded it (with cards in slots, drives in bays, etc.)? There is no 
functional reason for most people to not buy computers that fit snugly into 
a keyboard - but while I have seen these in catalogs for years (and even 
owned a Commodore 64 in the Dark Ages) I have never bought one.

I think that from an IA perspective there are different kinds of features: a 
minimal set of required task-based features, a larger set of potential 
features, and a very large set of aspirational features. A "bleature" is a 
never used aspirational feature. A bleature creature is a device or 
appliance is studded with bleatures - Microsoft Word (writing a help manual 
with multiple files, chapters, indices, etc. are used by what <1% of all 
users?) and microwaves are good examples (note that my father has cooked 
holiday dinners in the microwave - all courses - for fifteen years).

I imagine it would be very frustrating to spend time as IA  on a bleature - 
and very expensive for companies. I would guess then that this doesn't 
happen very often. Thus we get a vicious cycle where bleatures have terrible 
interfaces which contribute to a lack of actual use, etc.

I think the arguments against bloat are often: maintainability and  
elegance. But if people really do want to buy products that allow them the 
option to add tasks to their repertoire then I think we need to find ways to 
accommodate user and business needs without polluting the interface that 
supports required features. I think one successful example of this 
is "Advanced Search." Lots of great features there, all out of the way but 
always available. I think the practice of only showing "most recently used" 
menu items in Word is terrible because it is so unpredictable.



Jon Bieley