Do you suffer from feature fatigue?

DO YOU SUFFER FROM FEATURE FATIGUE?

If so, you’re not alone. Most of us do. What’s feature fatigue? The phrase was coined by Roland Rust, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland, and it refers to the feeling most of us get when we confront the range of possibilities today’s technology presents. Do we really need to watch a television program on a cell phone, for example? Is global positioning a viable solution for men’s refusal to ask directions?

As an example of feature fatigue, Rust, in a recent interview on National Public Radio, pointed to his mouse pad. We all know what a mouse pad is supposed to do—provide a comfortable, slightly resistant surface for the mouse to roll around on, right? Rust’s mouse pad, however, comes with a calculator, an alarm clock, and a radio, to name only three of its features. At what point does multi-tasking in a mouse pad reach the point of absurdity?

Manufacturers will say that they are responding to public demand: the more features, the better. On the other hand, recent trends reveal that customers in general are victims of feature fatigue, and they do not want a multitude of possibilities to compromise usability. Rust cites the Mercedes-Benz Corporation, which has reduced dashboard features in its automobiles, as an example. He also points to the success of Apple’s iPod, a device that Rust says does only one thing but does it extremely well.

Whether you’re a techie who delights in all the options electronic devices present, or a feature fatigue fatality, bemused, bedraggled, and bewildered, it’s good to know there’s someone around to help you sort through what’s out there. That’s your HTS representative, of course—the person who helps YOU make IT happen!