In Issacson’s How Steve Jobs’ Love of Simplicity Fueled A Design Revolution, the case for Steve Jobs being the innovator that bred modern technology is presented. The article starts with Jobs‘ inspiration for Apple, and ends with the entrepreneur’s latest products.
The primary points made in the article all deal with simplicity, which was Jobs‘ mantra. Starting with the reason for creating Apple, being that all of the other companies, primarily Sony, were ugly and slow. Continuing on to the Macintosh and how every edge, curve, port, and peripheral must be perfectly in place with a simple, intuitive, and inviting style. All the way to the software boom of the iPod, where the user must be able to get to what they want to do in no more than three clicks. Everything about Apple is built on taking something complex and making it so simple that even a “stoned freshman” could use it, and as Steve Jobs mentioned, other companies just copied Apple, so a lot of what we experience today would not be here if not for him.
I think these ideas have a lot of significance in the context of this class, primarily because Apple did a lot of powerful work when it comes to UI. The three-clicks philosophy is likely the reason its so easy now to like a post, take a picture, or respond to a text without even needing to leave the lock screen. However, it is also probably one of the reasons attention spans have decreased over the last decade, because we are so use to being able to accomplish our tasks immediately on our devices, that we now have trouble sitting through an hour long lecture. So there are always downsides to innovation, and that principle should be meditated upon as we move forward with the next generation of technology.
Although I did not read this article, I find the content of your response very interesting and applicable to our society now (and since the establishment of Apple). Apple products are undoubtably “simple”, making them accessible to people of varying ages and technical knowledge. It makes sense that this was Job’s “mantra” as the technology that proceeds his work was far more difficult to use, likely resulting in a much poorer UX. Even though Job’s can no longer create products, it is clear that Apple is still following in his lead as their products continue to have their simple and user friendly setup. Even in the Apple stores, this idea is clear, as the simplistic design allows for a welcoming environment for customers.
I did not read this article, but your summary was helpful in understanding the basics of what it was about. You make an interesting point about how the 3 click philosophy could be linked to our attention spans. I have noticed that I am easily annoyed when I can not do something instantly on technology (ex having to log in, 2 factor authentication, etc), however I do not think I have always been that way. I do wonder if being so reliant on technology for the past year and a half due to the pandemic has accelerated our need for instant gratification when using it.
Julia, you bring up a really interesting point about how our reliance on technology during the COVID-19 pandemic could have accelerated our need for instant gratification in regard to technology. During the height of the pandemic, I relied on FaceTime/video conferencing platforms to stay connected with my loved ones. I would watch TV shows, play games, and more with my friends and family over these video platforms. I would often get frustrated when the technology wasn’t simple and/or not working. Therefore, I think my patience for technology malfunctions/flaws decreased during the pandemic since I placed a lot of pressure on technology to work well in order to connect with the people in my life. I think this connects to the article Zach summarized because Steve Jobs was focused on ensuring that Apple’s products were not complex and easy for anyone to understand, which definitely minimizes frustration when using technology.