Intuitive Product

The technology has a strong stamp on what is considered “intuitive” at any time. For example, at the risk of dating myself, I loved Borland’s Turbo C environment, even though it was character-based. These days, it would be considered totally unacceptable because of more advanced technologies now available. But it was really intuitive at the time.

Now, the widespread use of Microsoft Office products, Web browsers, and sites like Amazon have conditioned users to expect certain behaviors in their applications.

So “intuitive” often means do it like that site or product that I already know how to use. But to improve the state of user interfaces often means pushing the envelope past what previous applications have done. It’s a tricky balance.