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“It’s the economy, stupid” was a phrase popularised by a Bill Clinton campaign strategist during the 1992 US presidential elections, in which the incumbent was widely considered unbeatable thanks to his achievements in foreign policy. The economy was in a recession, and the incumbent lost.

Out of all the blog posts written about Steve Jobs since his resignation as Apple CEO was announced, the piece that stood out to my mind was “What Makes Steve Jobs So Great?” at Fast Company’s excellent Co.Design blog.

Steve Jobs may not be the greatest technologist or engineer of his generation. But he is perhaps the greatest user of technology to ever live.

In short: It’s the user experience, stupid.

Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple has become the most innovative user interface company on the planet. When it comes to technology you either get the user interface right, or you lose.

Below are two photos that show Apple’s closest competitor in the MP3 player market in 2001, Creative Labs’ JukeBox, next to the original iPod. Could everyone who owns a CreativeLabs JukeBox please raise your hand?

Below is a screenshot of what the web-search incumbent Alta Vista looked like compared to the new kid on the block in 1998. Google didn’t only provide better search results, they had a much better user interface – one which has been copied across the board.

In order for a product to conquer the world, it’s not enough to have perfect timing, the best technology, the longest list of features or the most awesome distribution channel on the block.

It’s the user experience, stupid, and Apple owes its success to a man who understands it better than anyone else.

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