If there’s one thing that winds me up more than anything else in software development is the misguided notion that new features equal innovation by default. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Microsoft are a perfect example of this dichotomy. Each new version of a product they release includes tonnes of new features which will be of no use to 80% of users whilst at the same time making the product more difficult and obfuscated to use. Just look at all the toolbar and menu items available in Word for a perfect example.
Whilst radical innovation may include completely new ideas and concepts there is a clear distinction between this and simply adding new features for the sake of maintaining a false sense of progress and momentum. Apple understand this and hence produce products which are orders of magnitude easier to use than anyone else. Everything has clearly been well thought through and is joined up ~ using an Apple product is a pleasure rather than a chore.
At its core innovation is not about adding new features (although may sometimes include this); its about creation and improvement through research and experimentation to provide valuable user experiences. Concentrate on the critical core 20% of your service or application and make improvements there before you start bolting on new things (if ever). Careful thinking is always required to exploit new ideas and whilst this is an individual process many people simply don’t seem to get it.
In summary: change is good, change for change sake is not. Innovate, don’t obfuscate!
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After the initial glitches Apple had with their iPhone 3G launch and 2.0 software update launch last Friday settled down I was pleasantly surprised to find that, aside from all the new features, there are some pretty useful 3rd party applications already available and even better many are free.
One which particularly caught my eye is the Mandarin Audio Phrasebook made by Lonely Planet. While I usually take a phrasebook when I’m going somewhere I don’t speak the language to be honest I rarely use it. The problem I have with paper phrase books is that its a pain to find what you want quickly which is the majority of situations when you need it. This application goes some way to solving the issue by providing easily navigable contextual menus structured by helpful subjects like Transport, Accommodation, Food & Drink and so on which lead to searchable lists of useful phrases.
Each phrase includes an audio clip of it being spoken as well as the written form in both Chinese characters and the Pinyin (romanised) alternative. Now instead of having to flick through a paper based book looking for the right phrase you can very quickly find what you need to play it back or show whoever you need to communicate with. One cool enhancement would be to integrate this with something like Google Translate so you could get real-time translation of anything.
I’m looking forward to testing this in the field and hopefully brushing up on my very limited Mandarin!
Lonely Planet also have other phrasebooks available for the iPhone in a multitude of different languages, each priced at a reasonable £5.99.
P.s. if anyone’s interested in how I took screenshots above on an iPhone just hold the home button and press sleep - the screen will flash white for a moment and send the picture to your camera roll.
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