Customising the User Experience. Are we being forced to conform?

As User Experience consultant I often recommend, if it is appropriate, that a website promotes a richer browsing experience by enabling users to customise certain areas of the website, for example the homepage, user account pages etc. The main argument is that customisation can encourage repeat visits (as well as gathering lots of lovely customer data for the website provider). This is because the user feels a sense of ownership by choosing factors such as layout and appearance. In addition where appropriate, users love the option of being able to prioritise what content they either receive in their e-mail inboxes or what they view when visiting a website. To further the argument, allowing customisation creates a website that is constantly changing, fresh and a source of endless entertainment. Thus users will prefer the website over competitor websites.

However, a customised website if implemented well, will still enable the user to use the website effectively if they choose not to interact with customisation features – customisation is optional not a requirement. The same has always been the case for most of the technology and the day-to-day applications and software programmes that the ordinary person uses in the daily course of their life. Unless a job requires it, most technologies, computer based or otherwise, do not require a lot of customisation to use them effectively. However, like most people I played the customisation game and changed a few settings on my computer desktop, personalised colours and styles, added a few tool bars in Word, added nice wall papers on my mobile phone, changed a few menus etc.

Enter Office 2010 into my world. My computer was recently upgraded to Window 7 and Office 2010. First of all let me make it clear – I like Windows 7. Windows 7 is fun and has some great features. On the flip side, Office 2010 is taking a little more time getting used to. The menus have shifted around and Microsoft has made a number of changes to the entire Office 2010 suite; the most notably is the addition of the ‘ribbon’ menu system (I never used 2007 so the concept of the ribbon is new to me).

Office 2010 is a completely different way of working as my experience of Microsoft products since Windows 1995 consisted of using drop-down menus and sub-menus rather than tabbed panes, and context-based menu options (the story of old dogs and new tricks comes to mind!).

I should say that I do like Office 2010; however my main criticism is that I feel I am being forced to customise all of the Office applications to avoid my productivity being affected. The most selected tab during my working day at present across the suite is ‘File’ so that I can go to ‘Options’ and ‘Customise Ribbon’ or add commands to my ‘Quick Access Toolbar’. The downside to all this extra clicking (and it is a lot of extra mouse work especially when accessing the context-based menus) is the amount of time it is taking to discover all of this extra ‘functionality’ and the customisation of the ribbons.

It seems that to use Office 2010 effectively, I am being forced to spend a significant amount of time customising each application individually or my work efficiency is compromised. This was not a requirement with Office 2003.

The upside of all this customisation activity is of course is that eventually I will have an Office 2010 suite totally suited to my needs and requirements.

I am sure that in 6 months’ time, this learning curve will feel like a horrible dream and I will be singing the praises of Office 2010. However, it did get me thinking about all the wasted hours I must have spent in my life customising my phone, my blackberry, my home computer, my mp3 player, my other phone, my TV remote … the list is endless. Although, when customising these devices, it was over a period of time – it was not imperative that they were customised ‘right now’ to use them effectively. With Office 2010, there is no choice; the philosophy seems to be that as the ‘user will be given the choice but will not have the choice to choose’. The user must conform and customise whether they want it or need it!

Customisation used to be about choice and personal preferences not conformity. So has Microsoft taken it too far and started a new trend – where the user must customise and conform before using their products whether they want to or not? Imagine if this way of thinking was taken to the extreme and every piece of technology and very device we use in our technology driven world had to be customised before it could be used. What would the impact be on the overall customer experience be – interesting thought or nightmare!