Aza Raskin
Goodbye Customer: Loyalty, Costs, Complexity, and Recovery
Goodbye Customer.
That is sometimes what we say, without knowing the full costs and burden that proposition means on the business. Ironically, businesses are often unaware that their actions are pushing the customer away while at the same time trying to recover and retain them through expensive customer retention programs. Metaphorically, this is like pushing the customer away and pulling the customer back — at the same time. It is no wonder that customers have had enough.
Goodbye Customer.
That is sometimes what we say, without knowing the full costs and burden that proposition means on the business. Ironically, businesses are often unaware that their actions are pushing the customer away while at the same time trying to recover and retain them through expensive customer retention programs. Metaphorically, this is like pushing the customer away and pulling the customer back — at the same time. It is no wonder that customers have had enough.
Purposeful Simplicity, Unthoughtful Complexity
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
Featuritis and the Customer Experience
The more I learn and practice ethnography and design-thinking, the more I notice subtle but incredibly frustrating experiences. For example, I had a frustrating experience with a faucet that was in the hospital room where our adopted baby girl, Mylie, was born. This faucet is an automated one — with a sensor. So, whenever an object passes the sensor, the faucet would turn on even if the intention of the human was not to use the faucet.
The more I learn and practice ethnography and design-thinking, the more I notice subtle but incredibly frustrating experiences. For example, I had a frustrating experience with a faucet that was in the hospital room where our adopted baby girl, Mylie, was born. This faucet is an automated one — with a sensor. So, whenever an object passes the sensor, the faucet would turn on even if the intention of the human was not to use the faucet.
Aza Raskin on Cooperation & Fence Throwing
Aza Raskin is the founder of Humanized, the son of Macintosh inventor, Jef Raskin, and an all-around good guy. A few months ago, Aza Raskin agreed to answer several readers’ questions. In today’s post, Aza Raskin tackles a reader’s question about Product Management, cooperations with other groups, throwing stuff over the fence, why large teams generally suck, and political in-fighting and politics.
Aza Raskin is the founder of Humanized, the son of Macintosh inventor, Jef Raskin, and an all-around good guy. A few months ago, Aza Raskin agreed to answer several readers’ questions. In today’s post, Aza Raskin tackles a reader’s question about Product Management, cooperations with other groups, throwing stuff over the fence, why large teams generally suck, and political in-fighting and politics.
Aza Raskin on Google Search Results
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized and son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question about Google Search Results page and how messy it is.
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized and son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question about Google Search Results page and how messy it is.
Aza Raskin on Feature Bloat & Clutter
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question regarding Featuritis, Feature Bloat, and Clutter.
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question regarding Featuritis, Feature Bloat, and Clutter.
Aza Raskin on Quasimodal Design & The ATM
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question regarding the interface of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and a quasimodal and more humane approach to design.
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin responds to a reader’s question regarding the interface of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and a quasimodal and more humane approach to design.
Aza Raskin on Poka-Yoke & Humane Interfaces
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin explicates on the Poka-Yoke and how it can be effectively applied to user interfaces.
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a company that designs more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. Several readers responded with interesting questions for Aza. In today’s post, Aza Raskin explicates on the Poka-Yoke and how it can be effectively applied to user interfaces.
Humane Interface – Ask Aza Raskin Anything!
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a consultancy that aims to help companies design more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. He accepted!
In a previous post on Ethnography, I invited Aza Raskin, founder of Humanized, a consultancy that aims to help companies design more humane products — from consumer packaged goods to software interfaces — and, son of Jef Raskin, the inventor of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems — to possibly answer reader’s questions about design, visual management, ethnography, genchi genbutsu, man-machine interactions, or anything related. He accepted!

