Great editorial Bob. I agree that simplicity is an important factor in the learning curve. Usability should be first and foremost in User Interface design. When Jeff Hawkins, the father of the Palm spoke at MIT about his book and responded to an audience member's question about user interface design, he cited (IIRC) simplicity, repeatability, and hierachical menus.
Devices need to be intuitive, and they have to have the perception from day 1 that they're easy to use, or else they'll scare off or turn off your average user.
Whatever happened to the
Zen of Palm and its commandments? The
Balance of Features, the
Sweet Spot, and the
80/20 rule? It's time to get back to the basics: Usability should be #1 for
any company who wants their devices to appeal to mass markets.
The iPod is a perfect example, and coincidentally, it follows Jeff Hawkins' rules as anyone who has picked up an iPod and immediately felt comfortable using it has found out first hand. It illustrates that device usability and interface design follows Darwin's theory of evolution. Those manufacturers who make well designed devices with excellent usability are much more likely to survive, and those who do not will become extinct. How many iPod competitors are out there with horrible user interfaces? People are willing to pay somewhat of a premium for simplicity and usability over too many features. No wonder Apple has 75% market share of portable music players, and the user interface patent showdown between Microsoft, Apple, and Creative will be an interesting one to watch.