Mediocrity is in Demand
We go with mediocre things.
We seldom choose “remarkable” options from what is presented to us – be it fashion, entertainment, art, music, design, software. Unless it is promoted or produced by a biggie. Remarkable things are often radically different from what already exists. Forget creating, even consuming radically different things is always a challenge. Call it herd mentality or playing it safe, we think – let’s do it this way, it’s what most people like.
What do most people like? Can we be certain in our theory just on the basis of what most people we see are consuming? What everyone has chosen does not necessarily translates to what everyone likes. Our comfort zone bubble commands us to choose regular hence mediocre options. This inertia is very strong. The very same people do not question if Apple products are one of its kind, outside of the crowd. Those become remarkable and not crazily different! If an unknown person does it, the inertia alienates the person as an outcast.
In the past few years of Usability profession, I’ve observed several user interfaces being dropped for something that’s an identical twin of a user interface existent in the market. The usual debate reveals the same thought process – “We don’t think this will work, as we’ve never seen such an interface before. Can’t take any chances, users won’t use this; they’re used to something else, more common options.”
We watch movies similar to what has been mass-accepted. Music, clothes, food, all choices are usually made with a prior mass-connect criteria. While we stop and admire the “minority” as something different, we stick with the majority. Even when we don’t actually love the majority option! We think that because the other option is in minority, there must be some issue.
Exactly!!! Without the necessary evidence or reason, we immediately embrace the majority, without realizing that most of the times it’s a mediocre output. Run of the mill. What people accept is most often something that they’ve seen already. Remarkable things can’t be on the scene of what people have seen already. Because if it were, it would be a commonplace and hence mediocre. It’s an anti-thesis.
Vishal Mehta
Vishal Mehta is a usability professional who loves to play chess and has a strong eye for details. He's also the CEO of IDYeah Creations, a UX practice in Pune, India. Vishal is also a guest blogger on UXBooth, Technorati, BlogCritics, and SAP Community Network.
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Do you have any examples to support this claim? It seems like a reasonable idea, but all of your discussion is without specific references so it’s hard to determine if it’s well-founded criticism or not.
People want something different.
Give me something out of the ordinary and yet which is ordinary!
Thanks for reading in, Andy. The post is more like an opinion than a claim. But to that, yes, I do have certain examples and references – let me think of ones that can apply to a global audience; give me a few days.
Very relevant post…finally someone said it.
Thanks Maitreyee! I followed your link to your blog – I’m going to find time to revisit and read more; just had a quick read of your today’s post. Creative!
An anecdote from my experience illustrates the core dilemma in the article and relates to the iPhone example mentioned in the comments on LinkedIn.
Early in 2006 I set out to devise optimised character mappings for text entry on phone keypads e.g. special and international characters, as a university project. During the development of a Genetic Algorithm to solve the design problem I created an interactive prototype keypad using HTML and tested it on a PDA connected via WiFi.
This setup yielded a new idea beyond the original intentions of my design – a revelation that a cell radio module with a sim card in the PDA would result in a truly innovative and a profoundly capable device. Namely, a touch screen mobile phone capable of running a wide range of entertainment and productivity software, besides being a very flexible communications device.
Presenting to the class, what in Design Science (my study discipline) is formally referred to as a “creative” class of design outcome, I claimed that the optimisation algorithm was in a sense obsolete in view of the solution I discovered. However, to my surprise, the reception I got from the professor and tutor could only be interpreted as an attempt on my behalf to do away with completing the project I undertook and choosing to rely on a theoretical gimmick instead of a pragmatic approach.
The irony of this story is the fact that the tutor is a true Apple evangelist and no doubt gets ample opportunity to remember those days. BTW, the professor has now retired and his private collection of books on creative systems and knowledge engineering in design contributes to reference books on my shelves at home, providing me with plenty of triggers to remember and ponder on this issue for myself.
re-post from: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Inertia-Mediocrity-112915.S.173170158?qid=eef890c0-a43e-442d-ab51-39da341d2d09&trk=group_most_popular_guest-0-b-cmr&goback=%2Egmp_112915
@Piotr, Wow! This is very inspiring, and I can’t imagine the degree of satisfaction it must bring you to relive the early maturity and straightforwardness you demonstrated during your academic episode.
This anecdote will be appreciated by several of my readers, I’m positive. Many thanks for this contribution.
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