Bad software

Knocked out a birdhouse from scrap cedar while I was waiting for other projects to dry.

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Article in CIO magazine talking about how end users are dissatisfied with the user interface of traditional enterprise applications. This has been something that has bothered me since the 90's. Enterprise software interfaces seem stuck in the 1980s. Not surprisingly people are pushing back after the widespread penetration of new modes of interface being led by SmartPhone and tablets.

Companies do not focus enough on the user experience. I think Google has a pretty good grasp on the concept. Their software is pretty easy to use, no matter what it is. Look at Picassa, Sketchup, Google Earth and all their web products. You can do the basics without a complex interface, but, if you dig, there is a lot more hidden away. Intuit has long been a leader in this with Quickbooks and Quicken. The story goes, they view good UI as a way of keeping customer service costs down. If you have to call them to figure out how to do something, that call just ate up all the profits they earned from you.