In repeated posts, William Brall asked:
What is the excuse for this? Other than that people are used to it?
I think there are two factors at play. On the outside, they appear as
the "laziness" that Jared identified, but I think it's something
different. It's more of an organizational inertia, where it's simply
easier to do nothing than do something new. This isn't laziness as
such, but a combination of:
- siloed organizations
- risk aversion
The Philips TV is a good example, because I can pretty much guarantee
that the designers of the TV software, TV hardware, and the remote
control were in different teams, and coordinating their work was
nearly impossible. In order for a jog dial or click wheel to work,
you'd need to coordinate across product groups that are likely
currently siloed. Innovation requires busting down these walls,
getting all teammembers who affect a product in the same room, at the
outset.
Risk aversion is a spin on the "people are used to it" sentiment.
Trying something new introduces a greater degree of risk than sticking
with what is standard, and is known to work. Trying something new
consumes resources, and there's no guarantee it will work. In fact,
most new things don't work. So risks must be justified, either as not
being too expensive to try, or with the demonstration of a huge
potential upside.
William's lament is the reason it's so important for designers to
understand and get involved in how their organization operates, and
not be satisfied simply following others requirements.
--peter
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