“There is a common misconception that usability equals common sense, but actually usability is more than common sense.  Although the definition of usability is closely related to logical relevance and common sense, it is very unwise just to rely on common sense in ensuring the usability of a product.  Using common sense is not only unwise but sometimes also dangerously misleading.” - Adi B. Tedjasaputra

Quote retrieved from this collection of web design quotes.

Two quotes for today to show two differing views of “simplicity” (interestingly, the quote in favor of simplicity is shorter and, well, more simple!). Should we aim for simplicity no matter what, or should we focus on clairity, even if it adds some complexity? Is simplicity always clear? Is it always creative?

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” - Charles Mingus

“The most important goal of effective communication is clarity. Clarity is not the same as simplicity … Complexity can be made to appear clear by effective organization and presentation and need not be reduced to meaningless “bite-sized” chunks of data, as simplification usually does. Clarity refers to the focus on one particular message or goal at a time, rather than attempting to accomplish too much at once. Simplicity is often responsible for the “dumbing” of information rather than the illumination of it.” - Michael Hoffman

Charles Mingus quote submitted by Damian Rees. Help me collect quotes by submitting them here!

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” - Steve Jobs

Check out the article “Apple’s One-Dollar-a-Year Man” from Fortune Magazine in which Steve explains his obsession with design

“When we’re trying to understand our ‘users’ and ‘customers,’ we have to remember that they’re people just like us, and just like us they regularly cross understood boundaries and categories… People are inconsistent, often inarticulate, and they challenge social and cultural boundaries in unexpected ways.” - Subject to Change by Peter Merholz, Brandon Schauer, David Verba, and Todd Wilkens

Subject to Change by four great folks at Adaptive Path is a fabulous look at customer experience and how focusing on it can transform companies. I highly recommend it!

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality” - Walt Disney

Read Bruce Temkin’s thoughts on this quote and how it relates to customer experience in general here

“We can’t forget that customers don’t view a company in terms of silos or business units. They couldn’t care less about how an organization is structured. What they want is an intuitive experience that draws them into an experience that excites their senses.” - Judy McLeish

Quote submitted by Judy McLeish of McDaniel Partners

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“Start with the content. Sometimes designers and developers forget that this is why people come to your site to begin with. Craft it lovingly and serve it to your users with a minimum of distraction, like a well-plated dish; don’t just heap it all together like it’s a buffet. You worked hard on your content… celebrate it. ” - Aaron Gustafson

Check out Aaron’s article “Ruining the User Experience” from the great site “A List Apart”

“We live in a world where the little things really do matter.  Each encounter no matter how brief is a micro interaction which makes a deposit or withdrawal from our rational and emotional subconscious.  The sum of these interactions and encounters adds up to how we feel about a particular product, brand or service.  Little things.  Feelings.  They influence our everyday behaviors more than we realize.” - David Armano

Check out David’s blog Logic+Emotion, my favorite UX related blog with amazing visuals

“I guess part of what excites me about the Web, and makes me feel good about doing information architecture, is that it helps people get better at sharing information. People have used the metaphor that in creating the Internet we’re creating a central nervous system for the planet, wiring ourselves together and making the ways that we’re able to communicate and share information much more fluid.” - Peter Morville

Read CIOInsight’s interview with Peter “Expert Voices: Peter Morville on Why Information Architecture Matters” here

Also, check out Peter’s books on Information Architecture and Findability

“The best user experiences are enchanting.  They help the user enter an alternate reality, whether it’s the world of making music, writing, sharing photos, coding, or managing a project.” - Kathy Sierra

Read Kathy’s article “User Enchantment…” here