One of the most interesting and occasionally amusing aspects of the good-enough theory is what is does to product reviewers. The good-enough theory is, of course, the theory that disruptive new products succeed because they are only good enough to get the job done that the customer is trying to do -- not too feature-laden, complex, and/or too expensive. Good-enough products inspire the non-consumers to come off the sidelines and into the game, and that's often where such products' explosive success begins.
Understanding what's good enough requires a deep insight into the minds of consumers. It is a level of insight that frankly is often beyond those who make their living reviewing products, as well as those who review movies, books, and music (speaking here as someone who has worked as such a critic). The very act of becoming an expert almost guarantees the development of a certain out-of-touch-ness with the "normal" consumer, not to mention the non-consumers.
For example, the job a consumer would like a movie to do is often simply "entertain me," while the job the critic wishes to do is more like "see a movie that offers me something I haven't seen 25 times before." It's no wonder that people who regularly read movie critics learn to align their taste with the critic's taste, so that by reading between the lines they can understand if a movie is one they would actually like to see.
Reviewers of products, particularly technology products, also have great difficulty putting themselves in the shoes of the non- to low-consuming public. So it was with great amusement that I read in yesterday's column by New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, "Well, this is a little embarrassing. One of the most significant electronics products of the year slipped into the market, became a mega-hit, changed its industry -- and I haven't reviewed it yet."
"It" is the Flip, a small, stripped-down recorder that was released last year and now has captured 13 percent of the camcorder market, according to its maker, Pure Digital. "Stripped-down" apparently does not accurately cover the Flip's good-enough-ness -- in Pogue's words, "understanding the appeal of this machine will require you not just to open your mind, but to practically empty it. Because on paper, the Flip looks like a cheesy toy that no self-respecting geek would fool with, let alone a technology columnist."
The review makes clear, though, that the Flip has managed to hit the sweet spot where it offers better quality and more ease-of-use than cell-phone video cameras yet hasn't compromised ease-of-use with too many features. Users can film video and either watch it on TV or download it to a computer via a built-in USB jack. The Flip even has basic editing software that pops up for use each time you download video to the computer. Says Pogue, "it's the video equivalent of a Kodak point-and-shoot camera....the size, shape, ruggedness, low price and one-button simplicity take it places where no real camcorder would go. Purses, coat pockets, beach bags. Skiing, playgrounds, house walk-throughs, museums, casual interviews, YouTube stunts, classrooms, airplanes -- and, with the $50 acrylic sealed case, even underwater."
Pogue surmises that one of the reasons for the Flip's success is that if people are successful with a technology product immediately, they'll fall in love with it. Which is another way to say, this product is simple enough, cheap enough, and compelling enough, to make non-consumers into consumers.
"Somebody at Pure Digital must have sat through countless meetings, steadfastly refusing to cede any ground to the forces of feature creep," writes Pogue. Whoever that person is, they get the Good-Enough Award.