Image by for love or exp, Flickr
I’ve undertaken a personal view-athon of films by Akira Kurosawa, I started with Ikiru, which I highly recommend for its anthem of Carpe Diem, and have worked my way onto Seven Samurai, and, last but not least, a most recent watching of Yojimbo. In a documentary that accompanied Yojimbo, Kurosawa said, “A truly good movie is enjoyable, too. There’s nothing complicated about it. A truly good movie is interesting and easy to understand.” There’s clearly a stripped-down tone to this statement, and Kurosawa’s elemental on-screen storytelling readily applies to the design of products and services. Kurosawa, as his statement expressed, emphasized de-cluttering, comprehension and pleasure. Sounds like designing the user experience.
