Intution

What exactly works for a product in the tech market.The quality of the product, durability,efficiency performance,security and the most important quality of all usability,of course it all starts with the UI,interface etc., I call it the "presentation layer".So a customer actually takes a deeper look at your product if the presenatation layer is attractive enough.Just like, if some girl is pretty there is every chance she would get the initial attention from men.As Barney in HIMYM says" the similiarity between women and fishes is that they are both attracted towards shiny objects."(Well it applies for both men and women.)

Letz see what exactly works on the presentation layer.

A web page with a text box and two simple buttons make up the UI of the most cutting edge search engine the world has ever seen.(Google)

A simple white board marker like surface with huge buttons and bold engraved letters, gives you world's most popular mail, yahoomail.(People find gmail tuffer to use,as it bundles a email thread opens up the reply window below and doesn't outline all the options clearly.)

The first touch phone sells like hotcakes"iphone" inspite of the fact that it had a crippled bluetooth, bad keyboard, no select all option(how did they miss that),etc.

The main reason why Zune bombed so badly was the first version looked ugly(dull black),not coz it frooze on the new year day.My personal take, first Zune had sharp edges which hurt real bad.(whhy??)

So what can we derive,what exactly works, intution.

If a product is intutive it becomes a customer's friend immediately.

A text box and button saying search, intutive.UI

World's most easy mailing interface, yahoomail,intutive enough,even for complete laymen.

But thatz the hardest thing to find out, what is intutive??

It actually takes a lot of study and nice pieces of observations compiled together in making a product intutive.

Like how, this is how:

I got a Samsung Eternity a few days back, Samsung's take on the Iphone.(Looks and feeels very similiar)

It has two features worth talking about.

1)The iphone has one black buttton below, which takes u back to home from which ever directory that u are.But if are inside the fouth level of directory say Camera\MyPics\Ooty\Falls and you wanna go one folder up,that is to Camera\MyPics\Ooty then you almost have no go.Well samsung eternity's button below,acts like the up arrow in windows explorer and takes u one step behind. Nice!Good obseravtion.

2)There is a small button on top right rear side.Acts as the lock-unlock button,oh thatz such a hassle with Iphone. Nice again!

So my final take,intutive features are direct result of simplicity and good people centric observations.