Media: Spam in Software Applications changes Perception of Use?

Discover article "Built-In Spam" by Steven Johnson looks at the latest phenomenon of selling services by incorporating them into software acquired for another function. He gives examples: 'Open a folder that contains digital photos, for instance, and a sidebar appears that encourages you to order prints online; a folder that contains music tracks automatically triggers a sidebar with "Buy music online" as one of the suggested tasks. ...the initial solicitation takes place in an ordinary window sitting on your desktop. You're not visiting a commercial site when you encounter these messages; there's a sales pitch sitting there right next to your private data.'

He suggests 'One concern is that the commercialization of traditional applications changes the underlying objectives of software design. To date, most software applications have been designed with one basic principle: to make it as easy as possible for the user to do what he or she wants to do. The emphasis on ease of use isn't free of commercial interests, of course. Software companies know people are more likely to buy programs that are easy to use. But when commercial transactions insinuate themselves into the applications, the equation changes. Suddenly, the software companies aren't making money simply from sales of the application; they're also making money from sales generated within the application.'

Design principles change as a consequence - it's about persuading, so the designer is not longer necessarily totally on the user's side. And the prospect of commercial clutter on the desktop, as well as pop-ups on the Web, and spam on email? Urgh!

Associated Link: Discover: Built-In Spam

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