Apple masters user experience by refining existing ideas and designing intuitive products. To emulate this success, companies should 1) design for real-world needs, 2) integrate UX into every step of development, and 3) aim big and iterate to create products that fit seamlessly into users' lives.
When startups and enterprises look to create a product that delights customers, they often turn to Apple as the company they want to emulate. Companies want their products to be in such high demand that when a new product is released, throngs of people line up outside the store. Apple has mastered more than packaging a product in a sleek white box. It has designed a user experience that people can’t live without.
Too often, when startups and enterprises strive to be the first to market, they push features out the door before they’re ready, leading to bad user experiences. The first MP3 players had bad interfaces, smartphones weren’t intuitive, and, more currently, wearables have had limited applications. That is, until Apple tackled these markets. Apple designs amazing customer experiences by looking at the market to see what potential it has, then iterates and refines until it has a product that’s intuitive and natural for people to use.
With a methodical and meticulous approach to design and market fit, the Apple team creates hundreds of alternatives that never see public light to ensure that it’s exploring all possible avenues. By designing with people in mind, the team pushes beyond the limits, ignores what people think about its products and turns a product into an industry.
Take, for example, the iPod. Before Apple introduced the iPod in October 2001, the MP3 market consisted of the MobilePlayer, MPMan, Personal Jukebox and many others. But the reason none of these stayed around for long (and you likely don’t recognize their names) is because the companies didn’t nail the user experience. The devices could store a limited amount of music and didn’t have a easy-to-read visual display. The companies designing them created products that checked the box of being able to play music on the go — and that’s it.
The iPod was not a new, innovative concept. Rather, Apple took a device that had been in the market for two or three years and applied a UX mindset to consider how users actually wanted to interact with the product — and, more importantly, with their music. Apple created a consistent experience, so users could view her music library in similar formats on their iPods or in iTunes on their computers. With FireWire, the iPod transferred music from computer to device much faster than the 12Mbps USB that other MP3 players used. Plus, the iPod was aesthetically pleasing, with just one button and wheel to navigate rather than many confusing buttons. Apple created more than a product; it designed an experience by using a smart-to-market approach.
Apple creates technology that adapts to people’s lives. To be successful, all companies should think about how their product is going to solve a problem that users have (even if they don’t know they have a problem) and shape the design elements around what a great experience should be. Here are three tips for companies looking to follow Apple’s lead:
1. Design for what people do in the real world, not what they say they want.
Before creating a product, think about how to design a product that’s intuitive and fits into people’s lives. That’s how to stand apart from other hardware and software giants.
When Steve Jobs set out to create a tablet, he first thought about what people most often use their laptops for: sending and receiving emails, communicating on social media, browsing the Internet, listening to music and watching TV shows. As people are increasingly mobile, they don’t want to lug around a laptop, but a smartphone doesn’t suffice for those activities. Hence, the iPad was born, a device that is “more intimate than a laptop, and so much more capable than a smartphone,” Jobs said.
2. Bake UX into all steps of the process.
Design and user experience shouldn’t live in their own silo. It’s a team effort: the research team provides user insights that the engineers and marketers need to design a people-first product. Once the first prototype is created, test over and over again since what companies think people want is almost always different than how they actually want to use products. Apple recently launched iCloud.com in beta mode, and once the team has perfected the product, they’ll release it with refined features. Testing and iterating are key steps to delighting people.
3. Go big and tweak along the way.
The design team shouldn’t be afraid to brainstorm big, out-of-this-world ideas because even if that specific concept isn’t used for one project, it could inspire another feature or product. Bold thinking is driven by asking “What if” or “How might we try this” questions. With the iPod touch, for example, there were hundreds of times that the team almost gave up, but with determination and creativity, the team created a great product that tapped into exactly what users wanted.
No product is perfect during the first iteration, and it’s only through testing and research that a company can figure out how to design a product that delights users. Companies looking to set themselves apart in a competitive landscape must first think about how people will use the product, then design it to fit seamlessly into their lives.
