The Usability of Things

Welcome to my mission to make the world a more usable place.

I will be your host on this journey through the world of gadgets, design, interfaces, and usability. This is a place where simplicity is king, and cramming a bunch of unwanted features into a product won’t earn you any points. We live in a world where phones are the new truly personal computers and watches are pure accessory. Every day we buy new gizmos to make our lives simpler, and they come packed with so much stuff we don’t want that we determine we will never be able to use it correctly, and it becomes another piece of clutter making life more complicated. Soon we are surrounded by fancy inventions that have one specific use, but are so overwhelmed with options that they never get used.

Then we have the marvels of innovation. The simple devices that are unassuming, but very useful, and clever to boot. They don’t scream what they do, or even require manuals. Not only do they accomplish their task with ease, they are durable, comfortable, and will accomplish any other tasks you decide would be appropriate. These are the chosen ones that truly make life a more fun and usable place.

I make devices like these for a living, and I intend to get the most living out of my devices. I want to make sure the gizmo isn’t a novelty, and will still be useful even when it’s obsolete. Along the way, I will share daily observations about what it takes to make these things, as the simplest ones are typically the most complicated to make.

This site will be an ongoing exercise in usability as well, and should evolve to become better over time. You can currently subscribe to comment threads to be emailed if someone replies, and you can even quote them in your response, to avoid having to use some arcane numbering system. If it suits you, pick up an RSS feed of my updates to stay up to date. You can even read the site from your phone at http://wap.theusabilityofthings.com/ if you are a jetsetter. If you like an article, use the pictures at the bottom of each post to tell others about it on your favorite link aggregator site. So many options to make sure you are able to use the site, and I am always open to suggestions. Just hit the “Contact” section up top to send me your thoughts.

Keep the knowledge coming.