Buxton: Microsoft starting to get design
Microsoft researcher Bill Buxton speaking at this week's Mix 09 design conference in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)LAS VEGAS--When Bill Buxton talks about good product design, his favorite example is the Avalanche beacon he takes with him on his ice climbing expeditions.
"It's a technology that I bet my life on," Buxton said. "How many (of those) do we have?"
The product he said is fairly complex to do and yet the market for it is small. "Precisely because of that, there are no frills. You don't add features. There are no gratuitous features."
Buxton, a former Xerox PARC researcher who helped pioneer the technology behind multitouch interfaces, says he will literally throw the device at the first person who tries to cram in an alarm clock or something else. But, he said, he likes to use the beacon when talking about design because it doesn't elicit the kind of emotional reaction that comes from citing some tech industry product, such as the iPhone.
"I like that example because it is one that is removed from most people's experience," he said. "They can approach it at the level of the issues without prejudices."
The beacon, Buxton said, is an example of a device that is meant to be a single-purpose device. At the same time, he said, the real challenge today is actually in integrating all of the technology that is out there. We have access to more devices than we can carry and yet they do a very poor job of talking to one another.
Buxton joined Microsoft's research unit three years ago to help infuse a sense of design into the company, which is not known for its prowess in that area. Much of Buxton's work these days centers on developing theories of how disparate devices and technologies can work together.
"If I look at Microsoft, I think your experience with Microsoft is not going to be determined with what your experience is with any single Microsoft product."
Microsoft tapped Buxton this week to help the company speak to Web designers at the annual Mix event in Las Vegas. As for his broader goal of helping Microsoft become a more design-oriented company, that's still a work in progress.
"We don't get it all the time but we are getting it more," he said.
For more from Buxton, check out the video interview I did below.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
This assumption is absolutely incorrect in my case. Suffering the same experience with 4 versions of Windows (3.1x, 95, 98/98SE, XP) was enough to send me to Linux. I count Windows as one product which has had major revisions over the years. My experience is bad mostly for the persistent obsolescence of my hardware, and that hardware has always been a MAJOR expense for me over the years.
Today, I look at Vista & W7 and I just scratch my head: "What is Microsoft THINKING?".
That wasn't the point of the original statement anyway, IMO. He's saying that they're trying to make every device you have work together, with Microsoft being the backbone of that connectivity. So even if every device isn't perfect, you will still end up having a good experience overall because of how well they work together.
i hated it when i cant play mp3 without downloading something first. just like how the old realone player was doing. linux sux...
With Windows, it takes me an afternoon to do all that. My time is worth more to me than the price of Windows & Office.
@Anyone who look down on Linux, you guys need to remove the **** from your eyes. Linux has been slowly winning despite strong opposition, and dont say Microsoft is not strong.
Or any other software MS has released this decade.
An old, tired, and foolish argument.
XP was pretty stable and i have run vista ultimare 64bit for a year now and i run various types of programs and work my PC to death on a regular basis.. never had a single problem, not one compatability issue not one crash or screen of death, runs great
i have to admit windows is finally pretty damn stable, cant wait for 7
It's all WEB2.0 looking like A FREAKING MAC you retard
Why do I bother to defend Apple? I would actually prefer it if Apple remained a niche player. Less of a target for viruses. I used to argue with the PC types all the time, now I just sit back and smile as I watch them fight their computer day after day. You get what you pay for.
Your comment is typical of Apple OS users, it's all about the asthetics. This puts you on a candy high precipitating any one of a number of illusionary ideas that create the kind of comments you posted.
Google gets it and has created Chrome that is unmatched in performance, and it also happens to look good. Google gets it and has created the Android smart phone OS that analysts are now saying has a very credible opportunity to over take the iPhone.
Microsoft gets it. Thats why they have delayed Windows moble 7 and are creating a new OS from the ground up that is not going to be a me too iPhone. Microsoft gets it from the disaster of Vista to the memory sipping, usability improved, security reinforced, stable operating system from the very first beta that all the critics have been raving about.
The list goes on. Apple is not alone in their quest to create outstanding products that millions will buy. More power to Apple I say, we need hundreds more just like them in our country to help us out of our economic woes. But that doesn't mean that every product that competes with Apple just plain sucks, only because they weren't created by Apple!
I generally use a Mac now, but I often have to use Vista on occasion. And, when I go back to Vista and have to work with files and folders in Explorer, I can feel my eyes and mind becoming fatigued in dealing with all of the clutter in the UI. This was something that I never noticed before until I started using OS X almost exclusively. I've found that working within the Finder in OS X is a much less mentally stressful experience that in working in Vista's Explorer. Finder's UI feels very clean and spacious. Explorer's is very busy, dense, and mentally taxing. It's like the equivalent of trying to read a book in a library vs. in the middle of Times Square.
Hopefully, with a new emphasis on design, somebody at Microsoft will finally get this. I know they have to be teaching this stuff in design schools.
adding the ability to put video in a text document is ludicrous.
I want the avalanche beacon of Oses. One that is designed to be the framework for other programs to run on - not a pretty collection of useless entertainment applications.
It also need to keep up with new technology without becoming obsolete in a single version. NT *could* do that - but Microsoft cares more about making money than making a good OS.
But then Microsoft doesn't make a lot of money off of me so I'm *not* their target consumer . . . just those idiots that actually buy into "new is better"
I can't honestly see Microsoft ever matching Apple in design prowess in any area of business, but Microsoft didn't get where they are today by being great at design. The enterprises and consumers they service also don't have much regard for design or "fluffy" extras. Engineers and IT personnel also don't place much if any emphasis on design or the added experience it can create for the user. It is just seen as an added burden that reduces potential performance.
I see Google has also lost a top designer, who finds it stifling to work with a company ruled by engineers. Such is the neverending battle designers face. I know, I am one. Like Bill I won't give up because I am passionate about design. And code monkeys will always be devoted to their beloved code above all else, and there is nothing wrong with that. It just seems there is no room for tolerance between these 2 parties, except for token efforts at collaboration.
The only company in computers that places a high priority on design, and always has, is Apple. From the Apple II to today. Sure, there have been a number of major hiccups along the way, but their quest is never ending, and design is paramount in their quest.
Dell, and a few others, appear to be trying, but only it seems, to try and maintain their bottom line and appear cooler at the same time, or try to create a lust factor. They are not fooling anyone but the the most fickle or vain. Still it's good to see companies trying, even if it will ultimately make little difference or be futile.
So Bill has his work cut out, because, even though Microsoft are slowly understanding that good design can help enhance their business and their image, I wonder if they really care, beyond maintaining or improving their bottom line. Apple cares, and always has, and those consumers that care also will buy their products for years to come. The other 90-95% of people who don't really care or don't see a difference (other than a higher price tag) will be none the wiser anyway. Sorry Bill Buxton... but I applaud your crusade anyway.
- by fneedog March 23, 2009 10:49 AM PDT
- Microsoft is the dominant player in this marketplace due unfair restraint of trade practices that are illegal. They have been tried and convicted of this civil offense in many jurisdictions. They have agreed to enormous financial settlements and independent monitoring in order to be compliant with settlement terms. At no time in the company's history have they developed (in house) a product that has been a legit, profitable hit that stands on it's own merits. They continue to derive income due to illegal and underhanded business practices put in place by B. Gates.
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(30 Comments)At no point in time has MS ever considered anything but ship date and share price in any business decision.