6 factors that consumers use to evaluate simplicity

Make it easier. Of course. But what does it mean?

You will often come across new product descriptions that assure that "This is the easiest way to make an X."
But how should product design be developed to increase the likelihood that the target consumer group will perceive it as an easier way to do any work than the existing solution they are currently using?

What does this mean?

I believe that Dr. B.J. Fogg from Stanford has significantly simplified the lives of innovators by identifying 6 factors that consumers use to assess how simple things are:

• Time: If the target behavior takes time that is not currently there, then the behavior is not simple.
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• Money: It is much easier to hire a gardener than to do the landscape yourself. But if you have no money, it is not easy.

• Physical effort: I need to transport the boxes from Ikea home and lift them to the floor. Delivery can handle this, but money is needed for it. I can buy a toilet in Home Depot, order home delivery and install. Or I can charge it all to someone else and pay more. Simplicity depends on the person and the situation.

• Thought processes: Sometimes this is called cognitive load. This item is quite voluminous. How much will I have to think or can I just make a quick decision using my instincts / intuitions? I want to download a new application that will allow me to buy products online.

The ad says that it is “easy to use.” But the first thing I think about is: How much effort will it take to teach this program to do what I want? Fogg says: "In most cases, we overestimate how much an ordinary person wants to think." This does not mean that the need to engage thought processes is always bad. I can buy a bike at a bike shop, or I can buy it online and save 150 dollars. It takes more thought processes to sort things out, and time. What is easier? It depends on the…

• Social Deviations: Does the decision go against generally accepted norms? Fogg calls this "... a violation of the rules of society." It may be easier to come to the neighbors' party in a bathing suit, but people will ask you questions why you decided so.

• Routine: Starbucks is located at the end of my street and offers ample parking. In Philz coffee is better, but it’s not on the way and it has terrible parking. I will go to Starbucks. I refuel in front of Starbucks, even if it costs me more. Cheap gas station is 1 mile on the road I do not travel very often.

Consumers can use different approaches and evaluate these factors in different situations. Therefore, your most scarce resource will depend on the situation and circumstances.

For example, I want to ride a bike through the park. It's cheaper for me to rent my bike than to rent it in the park. But this implies more physical effort to push a bike into a car or tie it to it and take it to the park.

As an innovator, you cannot simply say: we will make this the simplest solution. Use these factors to understand what you are talking about. Support your statement with these factors in a particular situation, and do not force designers and engineers to do unnecessary work.

How to apply it to the tasks performed

We know that consumers are looking for solutions to accomplish any task. The task forces people to acquire something. And, after buying the first solution, some consumers switch to new solutions in order to better perform ongoing tasks.

These 6 factors of simplicity can play a role both in using the solution for any task, and in rejecting it. The current solution may be good, but as it is used in more situations, some simplicity factors may be more expensive.

If I use Safari to manage passwords on a Mac, it falls under the criterion of simplicity for most of these factors. But if I then try to use passwords created on the Mac (for example, for online banking) to log in to the banking application on the smartphone (new situation), Safari will not help me. Time and thought processes will begin to work in the search for a way to make Safari passwords available in their respective mobile applications ... with the appropriate level of security. This is due to the fact that I will not use "abc123" as a password on all devices to solve this problem.

The word “simplicity” and the phrase “make it easier” can have a wide meaning and can be a mechanism for hiding design bias and decision making in development. Use this bias along with these 6 factors.

Check out these factors yourself. The next time you make a purchasing decision in a specific situation, use these 6 factors to understand which of them you mentally evaluate without even knowing it.

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