Design for Ease of Use, or DFEU is a term in Lean that is used to create the simplest and most easy-to-use product or process possible.

Why would anybody want to make a simple product?  Well, creating a product that is extremely easy to use makes it more likely to be used, and by more people.  The more people who use your product, the more customers you are likely to have.  The more customers you have, the more money you are likely to make.  The more money you make, the more successful your business can become.

Knowing and understanding DFEU is one of the most powerful business ideas you are ever likely to come across in your lifetime.  Just ask Steve Jobs.

The iPad: Used by Two Year Olds Everywhere

The not-so-humble Apple iPad was not the first tablet on the market.  Some might say it still isn’t even the best tablet on the market.  But it does have one massive thing going for it, which has also made it the biggest selling tablet on the market, ever.  And that is Design for Ease of Use.

You see, an average two year old can find their way around an Apple iPad.  They can unlock it.  They can find their way into games and apps.  And they can do more advanced things more quickly than their parents (yes, my kids are better at technology than me), as they grow older.

“What Are You Trying to Do?”

It all stars with a simple question, and a simple answer: What are your customers trying to do?  For Apple it was entertainment.  It was music.  It was work.  All of these things in a slim, easy to carry device.  Steve Jobs knew what his customers were trying to do.  The real magic was in making it easier to do than anybody else.

How can I make the process for doing it as simple as possible?

The designers at Apple did a stellar job of making it easy – almost everything is a simple touch or a swipe away, from installing apps to the features they provide.

But what about your product?  You might be thinking that you’re not an “Apple”, or you’re not in technology.  The good news is that by answering the questions below, you can get your product closer to the DFEU ideal, and the rewards it brings, as well.  While they might seem fast and simple, do not be fooled – they are also extremely powerful.

Here are the questions:

• How many steps are in the process?  (Can they be reduced)
• Is Value added at each step? (If not, we should remove non-value added steps)
• How many wasteful activities take place at each step? (We should remove this waste)
• How long should each step take? (Can we make them faster)
• Why is the step necessary? (Can we combine it with others or eliminate it altogether)
• Are there any queues or stops?  (We should remove the queues)
• Is it possible to make a mistake? (We should error proof)
• If the mistake cannot be prevented, can it be detected before it goes to the next step?

And finally, the big one:

• Would customers be willing to pay for this step if they knew about it?

Going through these is actually like a mini Lean transformation in itself.  You can see things like error proofing, reducing non-value added steps, reducing waste, queues, and moving towards one-piece flow.

And in doing them all, perhaps you too can make a product that strikes a chord with people everywhere, and makes you a billionaire like Steve.

Yours in change,

David McLachlan