One Simple Tweak to Get More Interaction in Your Product.
Or, How I fixed Starbucks’ app in 5 minutes.
Simple vs. Easy
Don’t make the mistake of confusing simplicity for ease. I always like to talk about the difference of these two ideas. Allow me to elaborate…Simplicity means plain to understand. The course of action is readily comprehended by everyone. For example, we know that McDonald’s is not good for us. Yet it is the favorite fast food restaurant among Millenials. It’s really simple to understand, don’t eat there. We do. And it’s good…until it reaches your stomach like the boulder chasing Indiana Jones.
The concept is simple to understand (McDonald’s is fast food. Fast food is not always good for you).
Hard to execute (Don’t eat it. Oops, I ate it.)
Easy means it’s simple to understand AND effortless to execute. When we are talking about UX issues simple is always the stronger, more robust word. The problem is simple. Oftentimes, it’s not easy!
Let’s go one step further how many problems do YOU have in your job that are actually very simple, but not easy? This is why you’re the user experience designer. To make solving the problem simple AND easy for everyone else to understand. Typically a “boss-type” person will come in and say, “we need to increase our daily active users (or downloads or sales or…). Then they’ll say, “I saw so and so posted on Facebook and had 1000x of what we have by doing this ‘one thing.’ So go do that!”
It’s our job then to take what sounds like an easy task and show them how it’s actually not easy. It’s simple. This is called explaining your work. Personally, I hate explaining my work. I got to this conclusion after years of honing my skills and this is the correct answer! (Here’s a great story about that.)
But we MUST show our work! That’s the nature of UX. How did you come to this conclusion? Why do the screens flow in this manner? It’s not easy. But when we gather all the data, psychology, and creativity together it becomes a simple path to the solution.
What’s that one simple tweak?
It’s simplicity.
“Of course!” You say. “It’s so easy!”
“Fernt!” (That’s San Diego-speak for: wrong, dumb, lame, idiot…lots of uses. Feel free to use it.)
That’s the issue. It’s NOT easy. It is simple though. Here’s a quick example of a SIMPLE fix to the Starbucks app. I call it, “My Usual.” A very simple customization to this app would make it sing.
Currently, to order the drink I order EVERY. DAY. I repeat. EVERY. DAY. (I am looking at you Starby’s!) I have to go through no less than 6 screens and 7 taps!
It goes like this: Open App>Order>Add item>Shopping Cart>Review Order>Select Store>Order
For the same drink everyday it’s an unnecessary pain! It’s even worse when the app freezes, which it does about every 6th open. And worse yet, when you go from Wifi to LTE. (P.S. AT&T sucks)
So, we see the problem is simple. How can we solve this easily? Here’s how:
Open App>My Usual>Order>Smile.
I didn’t go into many other screens for times sake. (Also, Starbooks has a UX team of their own to come up with awesome ideas like this one. So, this one’s free Howard.) Had I gone further with the screens, they would just lead to the screens ‘Bucky’s already has for adding food/drink and changing stores.
With this simplified system you could order your usual everyday with 2 taps. You could also order your usual in a different city or add your spouses drink to your “usual” without having to go through 70 different screens. I am exaggerating on screens but you get the point.
Simple is not always easy. Easy should always be simple. For every problem we solve, we have to design for simplicity and ease.
So, cheers to simplicity!
As always, if you like what you read share it/recommend it.
The more we band together as a UX community the greater impact we can have!
Aannnd, if you have a problem you need solving drop me a line! I’d love to help.
