The Three Seashell Problem (or Three Challenges of Usability)*
As a person born in the late 70s (1979 to be exact), I am a big fan of 80s and 90s action movies like Die Hard, Running Man, Starship Troopers, Tango and Cash. For me, those films captured the overblown action and cheesy one liners that made the era so cool and entertaining.
One of my favourites is Demolition Man, a cult classic released in 1993. In this movie, Sylvester Stallone’s character, John Spartan — a police officer from the past — , finds himself in a futuristic society — which is 2032 in the movie — to capture a dangerous criminal. One of the iconic scenes is when Stallone’s character discovers that the simple act of using the restroom has been redefined by a mysterious trio of seashells.
John Spartan: “I am happy that you are happy, but the place where you are supposed to have the toilet paper, you have got this little shelf with three seashells on it.”
While watching the movie again last month — thanks to Amazon Prime —, in the scene that he was unable to figure out the purpose of those seashells, I suddenly realised that it is actually a funny but profound metaphor for the importance of intuitive approach and usability in product design.
I believe that in the world of product management, we can draw parallels between the three seashells and three fundamental principles of usability: discoverability, learnability and efficiency. These principles form the foundation of intuitive and delightful user experiences, ensuring that our products seamlessly integrate into our users’ lives.
The First Seashell: Discoverability (Uncovering the Hidden Gems)
Discoverability is basically the cornerstone of usability, ensuring that users can easily find and understand the features and functionality they need. Just as Stallone’s character couldn’t figure out the purpose of the three seashells, users will struggle with a product that lacks discoverability.
Effective discoverability relies on several key elements such as:
- Information Architecture: The way information and features are organised and structured within the product plays a crucial role in discoverability. A well-designed information architecture, with clear hierarchies and logical groupings, helps users navigate and locate relevant content and functionality.
- Labeling and Naming Conventions: Clear and intuitive labels and naming conventions for features, actions and navigational elements can significantly enhance discoverability. Ambiguous or jargon-filled terminology can lead to confusion and frustration.
- Visual Cues: Strategic use of visual cues, such as contrasting colors, iconography, elements that suggest their functionality can guide users’ attention and understanding of the available features and interactions.
The Second Seashell: Learnability (Mastering the Art)
Once users have discovered a feature, it’s essential that they can quickly learn how to use it effectively. Learnability is the principle that governs how easily users can accomplish tasks and achieve their goals with minimal instruction or prior experience.
Learnability encompasses several key factors such as:
- Onboarding and Guidance: Well-designed onboarding flows, tutorials and contextual guidance can significantly improve learnability. These elements should provide clear instructions and demonstrate the core functionality in a way that is engaging and memorable for the user.
- Adherence to Design Patterns: Utilising established design patterns and conventions that users are already familiar with can enhance learnability. Moving too far from commonly accepted patterns can introduce unnecessary complexity and steepen the learning curve.
- Progressive Disclosure: Presenting information and functionality in a gradual and contextual manner, rather than overwhelming users with excessive options or complexity upfront, can improve learnability and reduce cognitive load.
The Third Seashell: Efficiency (Streamlining the Experience)
In the futuristic world of Demolition Man, the three seashells were likely designed for efficient personal hygiene. Similarly, once users have discovered and learned a product’s features, they should be able to continue using them efficiently and with minimal friction.
Efficiency encompasses several key aspects such as:
- Streamlined Workflows: Optimising workflows and minimising unnecessary steps or interactions can significantly improve efficiency. Regularly auditing and refining workflows based on user feedback and data can help identify opportunities for streamlining.
- Intelligent Defaults and Automation: Providing intelligent defaults and automating repetitive tasks can reduce the cognitive and physical effort required by users, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
- Optimised Interactions: Ensuring that interactions are intuitive, responsive and optimised for the target devices and input methods can greatly improve efficiency. Factors such as input methods, device capabilities and accessibility considerations should be taken into account.
The three “seashells” of usability — discoverability, learnability and efficiency — are not mere philosophical concepts but practical guidelines that should inform every aspect of product design and development. By embracing these principles, we can create products that are not only technologically advanced but also deeply integrated into the lives of our users, rather than baffling them with unintuitive interfaces. If we can learn from John Spartan’s fish-out-of-water experience, perhaps we can avoid creating experiences that leave our users as puzzled as he was while staring down that the three seashells.
Final note: For the curious readers, Stallone’s character’s resourcefulness kicks in and he created an alternative workaround by using the printouts of an automatic warning system — moral statute machine — , demonstrating the human ability to adapt and find solutions :)
John Spartan: “So much for the seashells. See you in a few minutes.”
This behaviour also highlights the resilience of users when confronted with usability challenges, as they will often find creative workarounds or alternative methods to accomplish their goals.
John Spartan: “But there’s just one thing I wanna know…”
Lenina Huxley: “Hm?”
John Spartan: “How is that damn three seashell thing work?”
* Similar to my previous post, I drew a high amount of inspiration from “The Three Body Problem” for the title of this post :)
