The God of Small Things
No, this post is not about that book, not even tangentially. I happen to think the title is appropriate for the post. It could have been titled “The devil is in the details” (the original British and also Indian version, or “God is in the details” as the American version goes) but that won’ be anywhere as good, right? You may be tempted to gloss over or not think about the title, but “The God of Small Things” does get your attention.
Here is a seemingly small detail (the title of this post), and yet, I would argue that it makes a difference to the quality and “user experience” of this post. In fact, any act of creation, including software development, document development, or support, or test case creation involves attention to seemingly small or trivial details. Yes, the bold strokes, the big vision, the architecture, they are all important. But equally important are the detailsl. Let me illustrate this with non-software examples. No this doesn’t come naturally (at least it didn’t to me!). We can train ourselves to notice such details, and it would pay itself back in dramatically enhanced experience for users.
First example is the on-off switch. In practically every Indian house, in every room, there is this switch board. The more expensive or “sophisticated” the house, the more switches there. I have counted more than 10 in some switch boards. Immediate usability problem: how do you know which switch controls what? Occasionally, they will have a small icon on them, like the image of a fan or a light bulb. But much more likely, it is just a plain unlabelled switch.
In contrast, in the US, this is a model of minimalist design: you have exactly one, very rarely two, switches, placed almost in the same relative position to the door in every room, in almost every home or office. You can enter a room in the dark, and easily figure out how to turn on the light. About 90% of the time, the switch is there where your hands will automatically reach. The process is so ingrained, probably most Americans never think there is any other way.
Contrast this what you do in India when entering a room. First the hunt for where the switch board is. The location is not standardized. More often than not, it won’t be close to the door. After locating the switch board, try each switch in succession, and see which one turns on the light. Since “sophisticated” homes have multiple lighting systems (the harsh glare of white tube light vs the softer yellow light), you would want to try all of them to see which one you like. May be my brain is wired this way, but I still haven’t figured out the “mapping” in our home in India, and still fumble.
Another example is the hot water in the shower. I have moved and rented nearly 10 apartments and houses in the US in 15 years. I have travelled and stayed in numerous hotel rooms. Hot water on the left, cold water on the right: it is so standard you assume it. In India, it depends. I am not sure if the standard hasn’t emerged on this one, or if builders feel this detail should be left customizable.
These are trivial details, but the Indian house forces you to think, when you should not be thinking. May be you are on a train of thought thinking about some cricket game or (even!) some bug you are trying to fix. Upon entering a room, your thought is momentarily interrupted and you have to locate the switch. This mental friction adds up, or should I say, subtracts from your quality of life.
The ultimate goal in reducing that mental friction is that the product or experience is there, but not there, sort of blending into the background, so you are not even conscious of its existence.