This document discusses copying and inspiration in design. It notes that while Facebook's new photo viewer looks similar to Google+, the goal is improving user experience. Google+ also took inspiration from Facebook. While copying a successful concept can give users familiarity, direct copying risks replicating flaws or poor fit with the copier's needs and constraints. Original innovation at the core is preferable to surface-level copying.
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Copycats - Why we copy UX and what to be careful of
1. - -
Eyal Shahar
UX Consultant & Designer
@eyalshahar
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12. Many have been moaning
that the new photo viewer
looks like a rip-off of Google+.
Admittedly it does, but who cares.
It makes our photos look better and we're not
giving up the social network.
http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2012/02/facebook_copies_google_with_new_photo_viewer.html
13. Facebook hasnt been shy
about taking inspiration.
Their goal is the best user experience.
Google+ certainly wasnt shy about using
Facebooks design as a starting point.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/02/facebook-photo-viewer/
45. BUSINESS MODEL
TARGET AUDIENCE
TECH LIMITS
LEGAL
BRAND CULTURAL
47. 1. If you innovate at the core Youre excused
about the Fadiha.
2. Copying a famous concept? Users will expect
yours to act like the original.
3. You might be copying from something BAD.
Even on successful products.
4. What you copy was (hopefully) designed for
them, and holds their restrains. Try to see
where youre different and then decide if it fits
your needs and if you have the same restrains.
#6: New technologies rise quite often and we se new ways to use them.The digital beauty ideal is changing.Creative ideas get captured in our minds, consciously and unconsciously.Culture changes we now have the Users friends experience to think of, and we meet new ways to deal with it every day.These MUST go into our toolbox.
#7: On Bar Refaelis site I designed, I added a collapsing shopping cart.Its not and innovative concept, but I clearly remember the day I saw this concept for the first time, in 2006.
#8: AustinKleon says were a mashup.Nothing is original in our minds.So we are copying, whether we want it or not.
#9: Fadiha in Hebrew means something like an embarrassment, or a flop. A fail.
#10: The users of Sugarsync wont notice the clone, even if they installed Dropbox, since this is a one-time usage.So if you are really shameless and have no creativity at all there are still some places where you can copy and it wont matter.
#11: These days even the big guys copy from each other.Here is a really fresh one from yesterday Facebook copied Google+.Perhaps were witnessing a change in the code of ethics.
#15: Walla is israels equivalent to Yahoo, and I was their head of projects before I went solo.When we designed the homepage, we wanted to use colors to help the use.It made perfect sense, but one argument repeated: A competitor called NRG did it first.We could have ruled out a good solution just because it was a fadiha
#17: Mental models when we see a new product that resembles a different one we expect it to behave like the other one.
#18: 2004 all search engines used the exact same colors and layout as if it was an absolute truth, so Google users will find it easier.
#19: We identify a stream the second we see it, even if these are project management product.They even say Collaborate facebook style.So the users UNDERRSTAND the product thanks to the style cloning.
#21: And theres a common UI control now to express affection.One of my clients has a social network for football (soccer) and they have a cheer function. By copying the Like control users should understand it instantly.
#22: Its not just to help the users understand how it works, but also what it is.News sites in Israel has a unified style for the main image. Otherwise it wont be considered as serious news.It has to have a big image and a vertical news ticker. A horizontal ticker is for finance, vertical is for news, right?
#23: Same goes for sports news.You need a big image and prominent colors to let the user understand what you are.
#25: Google+ looked like a FB clone.The extra features dont matter it looks like FB.From the usability concept it was right. FB users could use it from the second they landed in G+.But they didnt give the user the motivation, since it looks just the same.Recently they changed it.
#26: When the +1 button came out, we all understood that its a LIKE clone.But its a mistake.Site owners dont see a reason to use it until G+ gets more active users, but they miss the point.+1 shares promotes links on Google search. Its not just about sharing to G+
#29: Samwer Brothers: Rocket Internet38 companies in 53 countriesAlmost a billion dollars in Exits.They spot a successful site in the US and copy it rapidly to other countries.
#32: Time is saved in lots of aspects.If you find a place where copying is the right way thats a win.Planning you have all the information architecture readyDocumentation you can communicate the requirements to the designers/developers without documentationDesign Sampling and copying (graphic work) is much faster than finding the balanced design (real design)Discussions huge time waster usually. Thats not the case once you decide to copy.Conflicts solved quickly by copying the solutionDevelopment you can copy CSS and client side easilyUser testing can be done on the source before we start developing the copy.
#33: But with all due respect for their business, we prefer to invent, to lead, to innovate
#34: I adore innovation. Thats what I wake up for.Innovation is what brings progress, and in many case, success.Apple has innovation written all over it.They must be innovative, or their customers wont pay $2200 for a laptop.In most cases they dont innovate if theres no need to innovate
#36: Jonathan Ives products hold some similarities to those of Dieter Rahms.They know how to copy and make it better. Combine innovation and ready-made.
#37: And sometimes they innovate just to innovate, and the user gets to suffer from it.The oval mouse wasnt usable in any way.No one knows to explain simply what this green button does, while the other OS provided the usefull (at the time) maximize button.
#38: THEY know what theyre doingWe usually start our research by looking at our competitors, the big ones we wish to become.
#39: So if I want to design a big commerce site, I look at Amazon.Barnes & Noble did (2003).Amazon must know that this is the ideal navigation UI for a big commerce site.
#40: But through the years they kept changing it.They decided to expose the 1st and 2nd levels on the left hand column.Then they went back to 1st level only.And then they decided to close the navigation entirely (for standard screen resolutions). And the label that opens it doesnt even stand out.Why does it happen?Do they launch without testing? Interviews show that they have a bad usability but users use it and will recommend it to others.Do their users adapt well?Did their recommendation engine got so good that they know what to offer you? Maybe they earn more on the promoted items?We cant tell. But what we think as ideal today might not be the ideal by the time we launch our copy.
#41: And on other countries Amazon still looks like the previous version.Is it a cultural difference?Could it be they dont have the resources to change it now?So the ideal copy of a commerce site is different for American and European sites at the moment?BTW Remember the Samwer brothers? Heres another clone.
#42: And if I design a social site that has a status update form I copy Facebook.But how can I copy when they change it 5 times it 2 years? Its like trying to draw a model that cant hold still.Facebook is known for testing changes on the users. I might be copying a test. It might be a failure that will roll back tomorrow.
#43: Although they are placed at #9 on the US, I never heard someone saying Lets copy Craigslist. They know what theyre doing.Suddenly, we no longer think that copying a successful product will make ours successful too.
#44: Pinterest got countless clones this year.Loudlee liked their interesting grid design and copied it to a new world music. Good so far, right?But while the Pinterest grid was designed for random photoboard browsing, music is not scanned by the photo albums. Not today. You need to scan the titles and this grid doesnt make it easy.And another thing: Since album photos have unified proportions (square) you can place them in a standard grid so users will be able to scan them, like Vjam did. But it looks like Loudlee wanted to make like pinterest, and it hurts the usability.
#45: When we find the REAL download button here (its actually a link), we understand that thats not a mistake. This decision was made because their business model makes them cooperate with the advertisers that steals the users download.We wont copy them if we dont have this model on our site.
#46: But thats the thing Theres no ideal product to copy from. Every product has constrains that influence its UX. When we copy ignorantly we take the whole pack.