Make it easier and harder

Is making products easier to use always better?

Our knee-jerk responds is… yes, of course it is, what a silly question.

But think about it:

Your favourite game isn’t your favourite because you could complete it without losing a single life on the first try. It’s more likely to be your favourite because it threw good challenges your way, and you enjoyed how the act of solving them was designed.

Your preferred creative software isn’t your favourite because it has fewer buttons. It’s more likely to be your favourite because it enables you to create what’s in your mind, now that you’ve learned all the different tools available to you.

Even Fisher-Price products, designed for little tots to use, often incorporate puzzles to work out.

It being easy isn’t always the point.

Sometimes, it being fun to work out is the point.

Sometimes, the journey of discovery and mastery is the point.

Don’t assumed ‘easy’. Discover what the point of your user journey is.