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Category: Bright Ideas

The Future is Simple, Literally

Want to ensure the success of your next product or service?

One way to do this is to buck today’s "more is better" philosophy and instead aim for the utmost simplicity.

Start by reducing the number of features. Cut back on the options. And focus on doing one thing, and only one thing, well.

You can never make something too simple. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself when was the last time you heard someone complain that a product was too easy to use?

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Five Questions for Monique Trottier – Work Industries

Monique_trottierMonique Trottier is an owner and partner of Work Industries, an internet consultancy with expertise in web strategy, online marketing, content development and online communities.

Prior to joining Work Industries, Monique was the internet marketing manager at Raincoast Books, where she implemented the company’s literary podcast series, making Raincoast the first Canadian publisher to podcast. Her work on social networking, corporate blogging, podcasting and personal blogging has led to speaking engagements at Vancouver’s Word on the Street Festival and Wordfest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival.

Monique says: "I particularly enjoy helping people understand the web. If you speak geek, I’ll speak geek. But if you don’t, I’ll talk to you at your comfort level. I like to break the mysteries of the web down so that people feel in control of their website and are educated on best practices for the web."

As part of this ongoing interest in de-mystifying technology, Work Industries offers a "personal technologist" service. Monique sat down with One Degree to answer our Five Questions about it.

One Degree: What was the impetus behind developing and offering a "personal technologist" service?

The "Personal Technologist" service started as a way to address the growing number of friends and family who were asking [Work Industries’ founder] James Sherrett and me for technology advice. We didn’t see ourselves as computer experts, camera experts, DVD experts–but our friends and family did. We’re good creative generalists, we can figure things out. In many ways, their demands influenced the creation of the personal technologist service.

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