Microsoft hires user interface guru

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Quite a man, I have great respect

Bill obviously lives life to the full. The web site is very clean as well, (and well structured), I think it will play very well with Access technologies like speech synthesis for visually impaired.
I like the approach: simple photos of beautiful things from nature, instead of wasting lots of time on Flash rubbish. Respect.

I like the mantra too:
"Ultimately, we are deluding ourselves if we think that the products that we design are the "things" that we sell, rather than the individual, social and cultural experience that they engender, and the value and impact that they have. Design that ignores this is not worthy of the name."

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It amazes me sometimes, I don't know why, I *should* know how relative value in markets works by now, but take this anecdote for example:

Four years ago I bought a PSOne for the kids for $100 in the UK. The PSOne was a major drop in price, previously Playstations were up to $500.
Then the PS2 and the XBOX were released for $600 each in the UK.
Last year I bought two PS2 Slimlines and sold them on ebay (people couldn't get hold of them so were paying higher prices) making $160 which was enought to buy an Xbox. So I got an Xbox for free. I just bought a PS2 for $100.
So in 4 years I've got some amazing console hardware, still very relevant for $200 investment over 4 years, where others "following the curve" have paid $1000 for the same equipment.

I guess this is fashion, or lack of ability or desire or necessity to control desire at all. (probably lack of necessity). The same is obvious with DVDs on amazon. When they are "hot" they cost $20, but within a month you can get a second hand one for $10, and a bit later $4.

I guess part of a product is marketing, engineers forget this. And part of marketing is creating product character, and for the product to work financially, it has to have features like lock-in.

Part of marketing is also creating fashion, which is mass strong desire to buy something that is riding the wave.

Anyways, I'm interested by Microsoft's current direction, and it seems to me this man's influence will be very positive.

Also: I'm hoping that Windows Live to PC data / settings synchronisation/backup will happen soon and be sounds technically engineered by the team headed by Ray Ozzie.
(set my new pc up to my normal configuration, while I go watch a film on tv)

Posted by: hipparchus2001   Posted on: 12/19/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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