[Updated Below] There are 15 ways for someone to shutdown a laptop running Windows Vista. This adds unwarranted complexity to our software. How can we avoid the same problem in our software?
Hat Tip
Joel (on Software) has an article where he lambastes the Vista team for providing 9 different ways to stop using the computer. Add in the hardware options on the laptop (like Fn F3), and closing the screen down or hitting the physical power button, and you get to 15 different ways to shut down.
Inevitably, you are going to think of a long list of intelligent, defensible reasons why each of these options is absolutely, positively essential. Don’t bother. I know. Each additional choice makes complete sense until you find yourself explaining to your uncle that he has to choose between 15 different ways to turn off a laptop.
Joel Spolsky
Make Everybody Nobody Happy
Joel posits that the unreasonable number has grown out of the desire to make everybody happy. We know that too many features makes everyone unhappy. This bloated list of choices is just one manifestation of too-many-features, and it doesn’t make anyone happy.
Inadvertantly Causing The Problem
It is pretty easy to imagine how we might inadvertantly cause this problem.
A structured requirements approach allows us to track and manage different requirements, as well as the implementation of those requirements. In Joel’s example, imagine requirements like the following:
- User secure the computer in order to walk away from it without other people getting access.
- User can shut down the computer such that it will stop consuming power.
- The computer will support rapid switching from one user to another.
Each requirement could drive an independent solution approach. As Joel points out, each requirement, evaluated in isolation, may lead to a different solution. The problem is that we are finding local optima, and not looking at the problems introduced by the complexity of supporting all of these solutions.
Avoiding This Problem
How can we avoid this sort of problem in our own product development? A holistic view of the proposed solution is required to assess if there are too many features. Prioritization of those features will help us reduce the number to a reasonable level.
Incorporating elements of interaction design into our solution approach may be the best way to do this (short of abandoning a structured requirements approach).
Each of the shutdown scenarios leads to a functional requirement. Each element of program design leads to one of the many ways to shut down or lock or restart the computer. Addressing the personal goals of each persona provides us with a cross-feature, holistic perspective. If our target audience includes Joel’s uncle, then we can make sure that our design approach accounts for the appropriate level of complexity and choice.
[Update]
Moishe Lettvin, one of the developers on the shutdown team for Vista, formerly at Microsoft, has written an article about the organizational and situational challenges faced by the team. He titled the article The Windows Shutdown Crapfest. That should give you a feel for how the now-Googler feels about the experience. There were 43 people involved, and they spent over a year. And the source code control system was frightening. Check out the comment thread on Moishe’s article too – it includes comments from other Microsoft and knowledgable anonymous people. Hat Tip to Scoble. Also, a followup from Moishe.
Summary
Multiple requirements can lead to multiple, locally-optimized solutions or features. A holistic view needs to be taken to assure that we aren’t introducing too much complexity with these variations of similar features. Interaction design gives us a big-picture perspective to make sure we aren’t making our software too hard for our target users to use.
Latest Articles
Comments on all Articles
