On the Skype UI disaster.
There has been massive public outcry about the UI disaster of the latest Skype for Mac version. After I just spent 3 minutes trying to figure out how to delete a contact from my list (the ‘delete’ button on your keyboard seems to be your only friend here), I also finally need to vent my disappointment about this once great product.
In a blog post last week, the head of consumer product management, Rick Osterloh, gave a quick response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback, but didn’t directly address the obvious UI issues that people experience. Instead he tried to calm the crowd by announcing that the design team is working on improved multitasking features and promised that the older version of Skype for Mac - due to big demand - will be officially made available again.
I understand that with increasing user numbers and a more diverse audience Skype needs to please more than just the tech geeks. Technology that was originally designed for an internet-savvy group of people now has to serve a broader market that is asking for a more intuitive, less overwhelming interface at the cost of advanced features. Osterloh addresses this challenge in his post too, but, in my opinion, he fails to realise that the new Skype UI doesn’t make its use easier for any type of user, full stop.
Good user experience for a broader audience can not be achieved by making more advanced features almost inaccessible.
I really love Skype. I’m using it daily and I’m grateful they still offer most features free of charge. But with their ‘crowd-sourced’ design contest and by making the old version available again, Skype sends a desperately negative signal to its users: “F*ck it, we give up! You figure it out somehow.”
