I know, the title of this blog post sounds rather formal like I'm about to ride a white paper.
No worries, I'm definitely not going to do that!
However, earlier this afternoon while I was pulling weeds out in the garden, I got to thinking about how one of the most frequent "objections" when I have recommended Hive to other people - and they have actually attempted to have a look - has invariably and consistently been "oh, it's just too complicated!"
And I know I am not the only one who has had that experience.
Usability matters! And I say that not only is a long time user/publisher of blogs, but also as somebody who worked in the field of web usability a long time ago.
Nothing is going to frustrate a potential user of something - and it doesn't even have to be a website or computer code, it can be all sorts of products - faster than being slowed down because what they're trying to engage with is too complicated and not intuitive.
Think about the times you might have needed technical support, or times when you were trying to figure out how to use a warranty, or perhaps make an insurance claim. Was it easy and quickly done? Or was it a long and annoying uphill battle?
I think back to some of the different platforms I have used to publish content over the past 25 years, and I will say that whereas I have persevered with some that were really not very user friendly, by far the most enjoyment I got from the experience has been with venues that were not only visually attractive but also easy to use.
And "easier to use" doesn't necessarily mean loaded up with all kinds of useless features — in fact that can sometimes be off-putting in and of itself — it means that what is there is pretty seamless and doesn't require you to spend a lot of time learning it.
Here on Hive, I almost always use PeakD because their dev team definitely does the better job of taking something pretty complicated and adding a layer of features that makes it easier to use, for a less technical person.
And yes, I realize that there are certain limitations when working with a property like the Hive blockchain but it's still important that potential users aren't put off by excess complications and convolutions. And if those inherently are quite technical, their needs to be a good "wrapper" between the mechanics and low-tech users.
One of the things I learned while working in the usability field was that a lot of developers were not very good of putting themselves in the shoes of what we might call "the ordinary user." They might build a beautiful piece of code, but it didn't stand up to the test of "make this work in a way that your grandmother would understand."
I didn't really set out to write this as a critique of Hive, but rather as a reflection of remembering places I have missed in the past and comparing them to places that I definitely am not missing.
I also found myself thinking about LeoFinance's efforts to build a new interface and bringing onboard a greater user base... I just hope enough attention is being paid to usability for the less technically inclined.
Because it matters, and can be the difference between success and mediocrity...
Thanks for visiting, and have a great week!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!
Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT posted anywhere else!)
Created at 2023-06-27 00:54 PDT
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