It's All the Buzz (But not the positive kind)

As Ken Auletta reports in his book "Googled", "[Google is] an engineering-driven and focused culture". This can be quite useful for a technologically focused company. Complex algorithms, new technologies, and data analysis comes easily to the science dominated minds of the Google employees. But as Auletta observes, "Engineers are rarely accomplished communicators. Google is a culture dominated by a belief in science, in data, and in facts, not instinct or perception or opinion". And this lack of value in the visual and design aspects of Google can lead to some major complications and confusions in new products. Most recently: Google Buzz.

With the success of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it only seems natural that Google would want to expand into this field. Recently, Google released Buzz, its version of an expanded Twitter. The simplicity of Twitter eventually leads to restriction. (For example not being able to post videos or photos and limiting posts to 140 characters). Buzz offers solutions to all of these things, with unlimited characters, the ability to comment on posts and search them, and link to photos and videos.

But in all of these solutions, Google Buzz has some very big drawbacks. First of all its incredibly intertwined to you're Gmail account. This wouldn't be a problem for most unless you don't want another tool through which Google can track and sell your information (but thats an entirely different topic). Also Buzz automatically signs you up to follow the people you most frequently communicate with on Gmail. This seems like a logical decision (as Google employees like to think all of their decisions are), but it can cause some complications. For example, you're followers can see all of the other people you follow and thus all the people you email with most frequently. And this information is something you might not want people to see. Also there are many design flaws and inconsistencies that make this site difficult to use (for example posts aren't always listed in chronological order).

Donald A. Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things" asserts that those who create things don't always do so from the vantage point of the user. This can lead to products that are highly functional to a trained person, but seemingly overly complex to your Average Joe. While Google has in the past done wonders in simplicity with their products like their search engine, Buzz remains a little bit underdeveloped. Google has been making incredible improvements over the past week to the new system. But as their modifications and apology letters attest, not every design can be boiled down to a simple logic problem.

Works Cited:

Ken Auletta's "Googled"

The New York Times "Buzzing, Tweeting, and Carping"

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