A brand that changes the world
Originally published on January 1, 2012
Branding/rebranding a large company requires a universal user experience. Visual consistency promotes a strongly focused perception of what a company is and is not. The more widely used a company products and services are used determines the difference between mere suggestion and conformity.
Its not a secret that success is achieved when name reference alone is enough to immediately ‘know’ it—to be able to understand through experiential-interaction rather than explanation. However whether this is gained through time, or persuasion makes a difference in how a company is perceived on a moral-level. Saying that you’re ‘not disreputable’ does not a honest company make. Taking time to ask and test users molds honest attempt. Speeding through the process using quickly measured numbers and individual theories isn’t.
A company whose brand has world-wide influence, has the ability to change the way people use the web. They have the ability to undermine and redefine usability by eliminating choice. While changes may be efficient from a company’s point of view, it is entirely disruptive to everyone else. In this age where speed equals efficiency and affects revenue, having to learn a new ‘language’ changes the ecosystems and paradigms.
Whether a company’s solution is better is irrelevant when you take time and choice away from its users. A system has been created at the switch of a button, and right-handed users have learned to write with their left hand overnight. What may be ‘natural’ has become unnatural, and simply put, works. Macintosh users have been through this ‘Catholic School’ regimen before when Apple took away their floppy disks, and made them use one-button hockey-puck-shaped mice. Currently all new MacBook touch-pads are inverted and deemed ‘natural’. While this may work for a subset of consumers who are willing to make a change, you can’t expect the same with the Tower of Babel.
While there are other similar solutions and companies to choose from, they are hidden from most users. For those living in the Silicon Valley bubble, the existence of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Hotmail, Yahoo!, etc. is elementary. The fact is that most people don’t know or care what they use to get information on the web. How else did Internet Explorer become so widely used? Natural or not, learned behavior is faster than having to re-learn and adjust. The incorrect and irresponsible perception is that change is good medicine that needs to be forced down users’ throats.
‘Not being disreputable’ means having your brand adapt and be informed by the needs of your users. Thinking ‘visual uniformity’ is all you need to create a brand is short-sighted and works for products that most people aren’t dependent upon. It is, plain and simple arrogant.
When you’re a company whose brand changes human behavior there is an ethical responsibility to keep users productive while giving them choice.
