Boxes and Arrows: In your opinion, what is one of the most usable sites out there today? Why?
Steve Krug: Completely predictable and boring answer, I?m afraid: Google. Someone asked me around the time of their IPO why Google is such a big deal, and I realized that I think it's because the people who created it were more interested in coming up with something useful than something they could market. They had a bright idea, and they created something that solves a real problem really well. Not perfect, but practical. And they're restrained. Like Jeff Hawkins with the Palm Pilot, they fought off feature creep really well. Microsoft seems to have brilliant people and they do great research, but they never seem to have great ideas and carry them out with restraint. They always seem to be looking for the ideal (but cumbersome and buggy) solution rather than something 'good enough' and workable. A lot of companies get suckered into trying to solve a huge problem (such as creating robot cars) when what most people really want and need is an adequate solution to a lesser problem (like power steering, or a robust, non-distracting navigation system, or maybe just road maps that are easier to fold up).
