BJ Fogg on “Why Simplicity Matters”

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While reading old postings on Push Click Touch (start at that post and go forward for a very interesting history of buttons throughout the history of technology), I came across a reference to an interesting-sounding lecture by Stanford professor BJ Fogg, given at the 2005 WebVision conference. The site had deleted the audio podcast of Why Simplicity Matters, but I was able to find a copy on the Wayback Machine.

It’s a fascinating perspective on why simplicity sells, and why bad technology frustrates us (Fogg believes it’s innate in our evolution). It’s slightly difficult to follow a few segments where he is commenting on photos and videos being presented, but still very much worth listening to.

Author: Peter Sheerin

Peter Sheerin is best known for the decade he spent as the Technical Editor of CADENCE magazine, where he was the acknowledged expert in Computer-Aided Design hardware and software. He has a long-standing passion for improving usability of software, hardware, and everyday objects that is always interwoven in his articles. Peter is available for freelance technical writing and product reviews, and is exploring career opportunities in interaction design. His pet personal project is exploring the best ways to harmonize visual, tactile, and audible symbols for improving the effectiveness of alerting systems.

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