BusinessWeek publishes an article on

BusinessWeek publishes an article on how usability effects profits. Wow. Maybe people are finally starting to get it. I still think the "usability" is too narrow a definition. The focus should be on "Customer Experience." A small distinction, but an important one. I see usability as only one element of overall customer experience, that also includes:

• Graphic Design: Does the look of your product match the intent of its functionality and the image of your company?
  
• Product Design: Does your product offer the right feature set for your audience?
  
• Marketing: Is your marketing aligned with your product and its features, or does it make promises you can't keep?
  
• Support: No product is "perfectly usable." Do you have a support system in place that provides the best experience possible for those who can't figure things out?

There's many more elements to this, but -- along with usability -- they all add up to the customer experience that you provide. To focus on positioning of menus or not using red type on a blue background gets you part of the way there, but not all the way. (None of this is original thinking, by the way -- if you want to learn more, get thee to www.creativegood.com.)