Mark Hurst writes one of my favorite blogs, Good Experience. It’s all about customer experience and usability — essentially, how organizations can create products, services, and Web sites that are more helpful and easier to use. For the past five years, Hurst has put together Uncle Mark’s Gift Guide and Almanac. The 2008 edition is now available as a free PDF.
From his introduction:
If you’re not familiar with Uncle Mark, here’s the deal: I review all the major consumer technology products and give my ONE favorite pick in each category… not the “17 top digital cameras”, but the ONE camera that you should buy. The guide concludes with an Almanac section where I say whatever comes to mind, mostly tips and tricks that I can’t fit anywhere else.
I don’t agree with all of Hurst’s suggestions, but his approach to selecting the best gadgets is spot-on: When it comes to consumer electronics, simplicity is vastly under-valued by product designers the world over. Just because more features are possible doesn’t mean they’re a good idea.