What made the ubiquitous iPod such a success? It wasn’t the first MP3 player on the market; it had less storage capacity, fewer features, and cost more than many of its competitors. On paper, when comparing specifications alone, it shouldn’t have been at the top of your shopping list.
There has been much analysis over the years as to why it’s been such a market success, but one major factor that most everyone agrees on is the user experience: from connectivity to iTunes, the über-cool form factor, and most importantly, the instantly engaging navigation experience. In addition, there are no moving parts, unique single-thumb navigation that immediately connects with today’s SMS generation, and a graphical user interface all just makes sense.
But imagine if your iPod was intended to deliver life-saving drugs in a medical emergency? Imagine you were taking the dog for a walk and suddenly experienced chest pain? How rapidly would you be able to select the acute myocardial infarction app? There’s every risk you’d end up lying prone on the sidewalk, clutching your chest, with only the thumping beat of your favorite music available to treat your arrhythmia.
As with all good design, the iPod was designed with a specific purpose in mind. Its interface demands exploration and (initially) trial and error. A first-time user might struggle to select and play a specific music track and then adjust the volume to a comfortable level without any guidance, which is acceptable for a digital music device. But an inexperienced user of a medical device can’t afford such luxuries when required to rapidly deliver a lifesaving treatment in a pressure-cooker emergency scenario.