Seth Godin had a great post today about designing for users who just don’t get it:

Great design is intuitive. Great design eliminates confusion. But not for everyone, not all the time. The words and interactions you use often have a sophistication that will confuse some portion of your audience.

One  of the constant tensions I deal with, as a designer for a corporate behemoth, is my innate desire to push boundaries vs. the common-sense practicality that rules our culture. Of course, we do take chances on occasion, but the bulk of our daily work is spent making incremental changes. Add a link. Refine the masthead. Remove a disclaimer. … Et cetera.

When projects of a grander scale do arise, there is often a broad sense of wonderment. But inevitably, at some point, novel design conepts are watered down. Could be at the governance review, could be after a usability assesment, or maybe the product manager is concerned that users wont ‘get’ the new features.

Sometimes, though, isn’t that a good sign? Think back years ago, to the first time you rode a bike. It was hard. It took lots of failure before you figured it out. But then, the magical moment occurred, and BLAU! you were riding your bike. And how terrific bicycles are: a place for all your extremities, a place to sit, and never in need of refueling. But. It was hard to get going.

Good designs can be a challenge at first. Heck, I have had to learn how to use my new iPhone. But once you get to understand how to use your contact list, or to save photos to the phone, it is a snap.

In other words, it is ok to have a learning curve. It is ok if not everybody can use an interface flawlessly, immediately. Yes, you may loose a few users. But if the design functions intuitively and easily for most of your audience, then you are creating a great experience for those users. When we dumb things down, or design for the ‘LCD‘ as we used to say, you often lose the magic and fun of a great new design.