Apparently twenty-somethings like to keep it simple, according to a recent survey of 100 “Generation Y trendsetters:”

Most of the companies cited by the respondents stress simplicity, says Brickley, who notes that many of their favorite companies, from giants such as Apple to smaller newcomers like Method, are known for keeping things as stripped-down and unadorned as possible – not just in terms of the product’s visual appearance but also in the way they organize their offerings.

Top five “trusted brands”
1. Apple
2. Trader Joe’s
3. Jet Blue
4. In-N-Out Burger
5. Ben & Jerry’s

See the top 15 and read the full article (via YPulse)

I happened upon interface design advice from a most unlikely source: Uber geek extraordinaire Eric Raymond. His take on interfaces is to apply the rule of least surprise.

“To design usable interfaces, it’s best when possible not to design an entire new interface model. Novelty is a barrier to entry; it puts a learning burden on the user, so minimize it. Instead, think carefully about the experience and knowledge of your user base. Try to find functional similarities between your program and programs they are likely to already know about. Then mimic the relevant parts of the existing interfaces.”

Obvious, maybe, but I love the way it’s phrased here. It’s general enough to be useful to anyone. Heck, it was written for Unix programmers, but I think anyone involved in the Web could get something from it.

For that matter, the whole thing looks pretty good. Jeff Veen lauds it as directly applicable to user experience, information architecture, and design. There’s even a Rule of Simplicity.

The whole thing is available online or in printed form. While you’re at it, check out Joel Spolsky’s excellent book with a similar angle: bringing usability to even the most technical things (and people).

My mom always said it’s easier to be happy than to be angry. When you’re upset, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Happiness seems miles away, until you realize how much energy you’re spending being grumpy.

Similarly, it takes a lot of effort to penny-pinch and it’s pretty easy to be generous. The key is to find the stuff that doesn’t cost much more, but has a very positive effect.

• Noah spent today at a coffee shop. He witnessed enough “accidental” fancy drinks given away to realize it was instead a brilliant marketing plan.
• Seth has a pet peeve with small coins. When sales tax brings the price of something just above a dollar amount, we’re forced to dig into our pockets or get a heap of change back. His marketing advice: “Don’t worry about the nickel!”
• Jory received free donut holes while waiting in line at a restaurant. Later, she bought some ice cream, but was disappointed that there weren’t more sprinkles available.
• Sometimes I get some food from the deli at my local supermarket. There’s one lady who consistently gives a little bit extra. She spoons in the amount I request, weighs it, then adds another spoonful before closing the lid.

The truth is that it doesn’t cost these companies much more, nor does it take more effort. They are making much happier customers for a very small price.

My goal is to find a way to move these lessons to the web. Giving more should be even cheaper when all goods are virtual. How do we find the free fancy drinks, the nickels, the donuts, the sprinkles, and the extra scoop?

When you find one, implement it. Whatever it takes to do it will be made up in spades by how much people appreciate it.

For as long as I’ve used Facebook (last fall sometime), it has included a status feature. Like a Twitter message, it tells my friends what I’m up to. To enter a new one, I simply finish the sentence, “I am…” Then my friends see my status as, “Adam is…”

I have often found it strange that Facebook chose to tempt grammatical issues by switching from “am” to “is.” Granted, it’s a rare problem, but why be so tricky?

They subconsciously got the message from me, because they’ve made a change.

When changing status, I now see what other people will see. And that makes sense! Facebook stopped being tricky and has ended up with a feature that is never confusing.