68%

…of users rate handset ease of use as ‘very important’ compared to 46 percent giving the same rating to appearance. These were the findings of Usable Product Company’s survey of 500 users in the New York City area. Just 8 percent thought mobile TV features were very important, while more than 3 times that number (26%) actually chose the lowest rating (very unimportant) for TV. Only 13 percent thought MP3 capabilities were important, whereas internet access was given the highest importance rating by 33%. Source: Usable Products Company.

MEX question?

Should the industry spend more marketing resources on marketing ease-of-use instead of new features? Can ease-of-use be a competitive differentiator in the retail environment when so many outlets still display dummy models rather than functioning products? Please post your comments to the blog by clicking below…

Scott Weiss, CEO of Usable Products Company, is one of the user experience experts leading our breakout groups at the MEX conference on 2nd – 3rd May 2007.