

How do you 'make it easy'? - dwrowe

Whenever I present an idea to a friend for a site/application, the first statement out of their mouth tends to be 'Make it easy'.  What does that mean to you?  How do you go about breaking up a complex task into easily consumable components?  Likewise, how do you strike a balance between making something easy, and treating your users like idiots.<p>I'm asking in the context of being able to bootstrap a startup, without the ability to hire a UX person.
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byoung2
_how do you strike a balance between making something easy, and treating your
users like idiots_

This is something Apple seems do do very well on every product. Follow their
example. Picture your kids, parents, grandparents, and neighbors using it.
What would they have trouble with? Eliminate those rough edges and tricky
steps, even if it means removing features (save those for an "expert mode"
maybe).

When I got my HTC Evo, it had a nice interactive tutorial showing me how to
use the touchscreen, type, pinch to zoom, etc. I wish more products did this,
especially now that they are getting more complex. The same goes for web apps.
If this is the first time I'm logging in, give me some thought bubbles to walk
me through the process.

I believe Mint does a good job of this the first time you log in.

