Following the tweets #uxlondon from the UX London conference about user experience (UX), I was intrigued to see Beethoven given as an example of a user experience designer. Apparently Beethoven’s deliverable was the manuscript, and the implementation was the orchestra. But the deliverable wasn’t the goal, the user experience was.
As it happened, the first audiences of many of Beethoven’s works were not receptive to the experience. In fact, the innovations of most composers of the classical genre – including Mozart, Brahms, and Chopin – were not especially appreciated in their day beyond selective audiences. Certainly there are exceptions. Individual pieces were immediate hits, and the dance music of Johann Strauss (son), for example. was extremely popular but mostly we need time or transformation (for example, into film) to acquire the necessary sensibilities to appreciate the melodies and harmonies of what is called ‘classical’ music.
Despite popular opinion that music is universal, I am not convinced that Amazonian Indians, for example, would rush out to buy a CD of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony after a first hearing even if they did have CD players and electricity. Equally, how many Westerners listen to and appreciate the multitude of World Music options or even the jazz improvisations of their local musicians?
Wherever and whenever innovation occurs, there is usually a time delay before the majority of users begin to welcome new, innovative products. We can’t anticipate user acceptance beyond our product testers but we cannot ignore it. Education helps, as does change management (or marketing campaigns) for radical departures from our usual habits. User feedback, too, may help us improve our products.
A common driver for product development is market demand but this isn’t necessarily the best source of innovation. If Beethoven had listened to market demands we might have had a lot of pleasant piano music for wealthy female admirers but we wouldn’t have the more radical string quartets or symphonies. So we create and we wait. Rarely can we determine what our legacy will be until there has been a lapse of time. How long is anybody’s guess.
