founders paras chopra, chapter by chapter
9. People Don’t Like Using Technology
Users want their problem to disappear, not a closer relationship with your machinery.
Builders admire technical sophistication; users experience it as effort. A customer wants transportation, communication, or entertainment—not an engine, interface, or codec. The best technology recedes until only the desired outcome remains, like a radio that seems to become the music itself.
Review every control, setup step, and concept your product exposes. Ask whether it advances the user’s goal or merely displays the implementation. Remove, automate, or hide the latter. Judge the product by time and attention returned to the customer, not by the amount of technology made visible.
Original sketch and model by Paras Chopra. Read the source chapter.