| On top of that, you have to get messaging right. Here’s an example from consumer: I’m looking for a TV. I buy after careful research, so there’s a 90+% chance I’ll end up with the TV I have in mind before walking into the store. One device we frequently use (Linux) doesn’t send the “switch to me” hdmi signal when we start using it, so the “switch input” button on the remote is crucial. The front runner has a One Button (TM) remote. “What fresh hell hast thou wrought?”, I ask. On page 1, the manual says to change inputs you need to press the gear button, navigate through the settings menu to “inputs”, and then find the right input from there. Ok, so do I get the crappier panel to avoid the settings menu every time I turn on the TV, or not? Thankfully, page 10 has a picture of the remote, and it has a quick change input button, so that’s OK. On top of that, I want the TV to be a dumb TV. There’s no mention of this in the quickstart guide, but it has “Basic Mode” that which is that, except that calling something “Basic” is right up there with most four letter insults with kids these days. As a bonus, after reading the manual, I also honestly can’t tell if it’s possible to have four hdmi inputs and also variable volume audio out at the same time. If you’re going to produce differentiating features (or your competitors are differentiating you via enshuttification) you need to make that clear pre-purchase. In enterprise it’s at least 10x harder to get this stuff right because you probably don’t use the product on a regular basis, and also, there are many more features. |