Amazon Dash

HN'ers asking why this isn't a cell phone app take note - this exemplifies why we (geeks) don't make good use cases for consumer tech and we should always be careful looking to our own habits and values when in a Product Development role.

We're rarely the target customer and rarely behave like "average Joe". We're naturally resistant to superfluous redundancy ("My phone can already snap a barcode, I don't need a separate device") when consumers don't even see the duplication let alone the issue. They don't separate devices (or even apps) has having layers of similarity and just see things for their end functionality.

My mother would see a phone and apps as completely separate functionality to a physical device like this. She probably would have the Amazon Fresh scanner, the (theoretical) Google Shopping Express scanner and the (also theoretical) Whole Foods scanner and wouldn't even consider the duplication, let alone be frustrated by it. She doesn't care about the potential for an "open standard"/"common standard".

She also has an AppleTV and a ChromeCast connected to the same smart-TV that also has native apps within it (she mostly uses the native apps). Again, she sees no issue with that and might even buy an Amazon FireTV if she felt it was more compelling for one use.

Ultimately we shouldn't assume consumers value convergence, especially when it creates ever increasing complexity in user experience (eg opening an app to snap a barcode vs pressing a single button on an Amazon Fresh scanner)

ADDED: If you don't have parents that also work in tech, go visit them and just watch them use technology without prompting. Ask them about their experiences, their frustrations, their decisions behind purchasing specific equipment and downloading particular apps. It's very insightful.

They do actually have a bar code. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_look-up_code

But it says you can also speak to it.

most people keep their phone on them most of the day, especially those willing to grocery shop online. i don't feel like finding a phone and pressing maybe, 3 buttons, is any slower than finding some other gadget tucked in a drawer somewhere in your house, and pressing one button. i don't see the point of the hardware here, even though finding an app on my phone is apparently 4 steps.

The prices will probably drop once they've got more fulfillment centers close to the large metropolitan areas.

I assume the use case here is you're in the process of using up an item. The easier and faster Amazon can make it to order a new one, the more likely they are to get your business. If I'm cooking and I run out of flour, I'm not going to stop cooking, pull out my phone, unlock it, swipe over to the screen that has the Amazon app on it, tap that, wait for it to launch, click the button for Fresh, and then finally type (or speak). I'm just going to make a mental note and buy it later from Safeway.

But with Dash, it's just grab the Dash from whatever convenient location you keep it, speak into the Dash, and put it back. That's easy enough that I would do it, and Amazon would get my purchase.

Unfortunately, Amazon Fresh really kind of sucks (at least in SF), so the whole premise is flawed. Oh well.