While driving to and from work over the last two weeks I’ve been listening to the unabridged audiobook of the Steve Jobs biography (by Walter Isaacson) and it’s reinvigorated my spirit a bit. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve seen some interesting behaviors – both good and bad – that I share with Steve Jobs. It’s helped to point out some of the less appealing behaviors I sometimes engage in, but also served to reinforce my belief that the best user experiences are derived from end-to-end design.
A great example of this belief can be found in the design and functionality of the iPhone. The iPhone isn’t great just because the hardware looks good and the software works well. It’s a compilation of a multitude of factors – everything from the materials used, the shape of the hardware, the arrangement of sensors and buttons, the way the homescreen is rendered with iconographic buttons that aren’t too big for small fingers or too small for big fingers. It’s the whole package that makes the device so sexy, usable, and amazing.
As I work every day at Monster to try and make our software products better, more intuitive, and better looking, I find myself looking back to the first thing I remember about Apple as an adult – the “Think Different” campaign. Until I’d heard the text of it again tonight, I had forgotten how inspirational the words were to me, and still are:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
I intend to print this out tomorrow and keep it in my field of vision at my desk at work. It’s something I need to read and remember and keep in mind every day. It is a mantra to those who care about making great things, and I intend to make great things.
Here’s to the crazy ones.
Bravo, Scott. Well said.