Skip Int(r)o: the Future

As stated in the previous pages, the skip intro phenomenon caused our design culture to shift from a core perspective to a multi-angled perspective. This point of view resulted in the addition of so many uncalled features the core-foundation of a product tends to get lost.

It is easy to add things, but one of the quintessential skills compulsory for a good design is the art of removing things. In many cases the stripped down-product, providing a lot of simplicity does more than a feature-filled product.

This focus on more inclusions gave less time for the interaction. If this trend continues we will start seeing products sporting a vast array of features, but offer less ease of use.

Another important effect of this skip intro culture is the influence of the accelerating technology push. These days the experience of a product feels like an intro itself; before you really get to enjoy and appreciate the product, it becomes obsolete. Ever shrinking life expectancies and the introduction of new models

don’t aid this occurrence.

Imagine a future where products have less quality just for companies to be able to keep up with the industry’s pace. Far-fetched? Not really. The lifespan of mobile phones has drastically decreased over the years, and certain printers house parts that fail after a specified time.

If this rate continues we will see shorter product lifetimes and more attention to quantity. A product now tries to solve many problems, by solutions which compromise. Features surrounding these products will distract us from the core principle.

This future, though somewhat exaggerated, is not that far away. But we can still act accordingly and take measures in our own hands. We should not create the proverbial skip intro button, we should delete the entire intro. It’s time to lose all the crap we are already submerged by and stop focusing on quantity; we need quality.

So take a note designers: start rethinking your design process once you’re finished your idea. There is bound to be some stuff you can lose to create a better experience, product, service, system, a better whatever. Start skipping that intro today!