David Burrowes' Blog

I was having a conversation last night with my friend Alex Mckale, and somewhere in the middle of that conversation the phrase "It's not about usability" leapt into my head.

I think this came from a portion of a conversation where we were talking about two software companies. One delivers stuff aimed at consumers and has a reputation for being willing to deliver ugly code as long as it solves the user need, while the other has a reputation for delivering high quality code.

This lead me to quip, thinking of the former company which is doing well these days, "It isn't about the technology, is it?" And, of course, when you're not a programmer perhaps you realize that. It is the usual thing: people buy software in order to achive their goals, not to posess works of algorithmic art.

At the same time, though, it follows pretty naturally that no one buys a piece of software because it is usable. Again, they buy it to accomplish some goal. The usability of it is simply a way to facilitate reaching that goal, just as the algorithms and data structures are ways of facilitating reaching the goal.

If I've got a nail to pound in, I'd prefer to use a well-weighted hammer with comfortable grip, pleasing color scheme and a rich sound when it strikes the nail. But if none is available, I'll use a soil-encrusted stone and probably get the nail in just about as well.

What's my point here? I guess it's a reminder to myself not to take my line of work quite so seriously. We're all parts in the greater solving-user-needs machine. Do your algorithm poorly: unhappy user. Do the usability poorly: unhappy user. Don't solve the user's need: no user.