Some people came into Clipflow and told us it was easy to use. I was very happy to hear that. It also made it easier to ignore the people who were getting stuck.
The people who understand your product quickly can make you feel like you've solved the usability problem. But you're trying to make it understandable for more than the people who already think like you.
Our project sidebar was a good example. We'd put a lot of effort into its behaviour, including remembering collapsed sections. It was also long and overwhelming when someone saw it for the first time.
There were actions people could lose track of after clicking around. Creating something new became confusing because the place to do it wasn't obvious anymore. All the effort we'd put into the interaction didn't make that first experience easier.
Darrell and I went back through it, stripping things out and finding a simpler arrangement. We kept the actions easier to find and made the sections easier to navigate.
That sort of work can feel frustrating. You spent time building something clever, and now you're spending time removing parts of it. But the person trying to get their work done doesn't care how much thought went into your collapsible sidebar.
A powerful product still needs a clear way in. You can preserve the depth people need while making the starting point less demanding.
When someone doesn't understand our product, I want to look at the explanation and the design first. A compliment from another user doesn't resolve their confusion.
