Uniqueness vs ease of use

A new survey from the Media Management Center at Northwestern University focuses in on the importance of being among a users top three to five choices for a given subject in order not to be overlooked and forgotten about.

The falldown of that survey is interesting. Because it focuses on a schisma: Should you bet on ease-of-use or being unique?

The survey seems to suggest the former of the two with respondents saying that what’s really important to them on a news site is that it’s easy to use and easy to find, what you’re looking for. Uniqueness doesn’t count.

You can of course argue that since the focus is on the news sites, ease of use could be a real differentiator in a commoditized market. And I want to believe that that’s why respondents are saying, what they are saying. Because given products with equal amounts and type of content - i.e. your average regular news site - ease of use does become a factor. You want your news fix, yes, but you also want it over and done with.

I still hold firm to the belief that uniqueness at the end of the day is the most important of these two very important points. Because I think you need to stand out on the merits a bit more than on your design. Plus I do think that that’s where you’ll have a viable business model as a site or service owner.

Vad NU! is a consultancy company owned by Mads Kristensen and specialized in helping clients take advantage of the business opportunities created by new media. Click to learn how I can help you and your company.