Space Invaders and the quest for simplicity. By Simon Hurst

Posted by AccountingWEB PM | on Thu, 22/02/2007 - 16:22  2075  1 comment

What better way to spend a few hours at half-term than in the Science Museum's Game On exhibition? 'Game On' covers the short but action-packed history of computer games and gaming consoles.

The late 70s were a great time for music lovers 0 Graham Parker and the Rumour, Elvis Costello and the relentless soundtrack of the early Space Invaders machines - bom-bom, bom-bom, bom-bom (or was that Jaws?).

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david_terrar's picture

Simplicity - why features don't matter anymore

david_terrar | Mon, 05/03/2007 - 08:25 | Permalink

Simon,
I completely identify with what you say here. This is exactly why the iPod is the best and most popular MP3 player. It has an elegant and simple interface, with just enough of the features I need without being confusing.

Andreas Pfeiffer has a great take on this with his Why features don't matter anymore: The new laws of digital technology. In his 10 rules, number 1 is more features isn't better, it's worse. Number 7 is unused features are not only useless, they can slow you down and diminish ease of use, and number 8 is users do not want to think about technology: what really counts is what it does for them.

The article is well worth a read - us software people should take note.
David Terrar
Mailto:dt@d2c.org.uk
web: http://www.d2c.org.uk and http://www.twinfield.com
blog: http://biztwozero.com

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