Price vs. Value

One of my favorite quotes was from a Mercedes commercial:

In the background of it you hear a womans voice saying, "My father told me that there are people who know the price of everything, and the value of nothing."

We have all seen these price signs under products in store's across the United States. The price of course is clearly seen, but on many of them you can also see the "Unit price." By comparing the unit price of a products, one can see the value of a product.

It would be really nice if we all could compare technology products this way. But since all technology can't have a "posted sign," we display value by creating products that are easy to buy, easy to use(install), and easy to maintain. To make this possible to your target audience, is by usability. The more usable a product, the greater the value is placed on a product.

When a person first uses a product, they are actually looking for value. Not to respect this significant moment will cause:

• Low or slow adoption
• complaints generated by not meeting the end users expectations
• a high request for documentation and training
• a high product demand and push for completion, but only hearing "crickets" when released

The way to eliminate these things is by value. To increase value, is by succeeding in usability.