A couple of weeks ago I discussed usability with a colleague. Among other things we wondered whether users really understand words like “podcast,” “beta,” “RSS,” etc.
It’s a short two-mile bike ride to my office, and one Friday curiosity got the better of me. At the last intersection I turned left instead of going straight to the office. (Sorry boss, but there were no meetings that morning.)
I stopped on a local business street, and started asking people wearing earphones what they were listening to. I also asked if they knew and understood the word “podcast,” and whether they had ever downloaded podcasts.
My totally unscientific survey of 12 people was equally split between men and women, mostly between the ages of 20 and 40. Only two or three of these people even knew the word podcast. The rest had no clue.
It’s not that podcast programs aren’t available here. The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (Denmark’s major radio broadcaster — and my employer) podcasts many programs and regularly runs radio campaigns and spots about podcasts. Also, podcast directories like podhead.dk list plenty of alternative shows.
But I wonder: Could podcasting ever become the most popular form of on-demand “radio?”
I wrote about my experience on my Danish blog. I immediately got this response from Karin Høgh, the most prominent podcast consultant in Denmark: “We had this argument years ago.” She’s right, and I realize that this is the way podcasting is “sold” around the world.
However, when 70 percent of the target audience for podcasts — people who have already invested in the appropriate technology — still don’t understand the words we use to sell the product, I’d argue that we still have a problem. It’s as if the words that help us sell a new service to first movers (who demand technical insight) sometimes prevent us from reaching the mainstream audience.
Maybe it’s not just the terminology. Maybe it’s the entire approach. In contrast, when people record a TV show on their VCR or DVR, they simply record it.
What would happen to “radio on demand” if, instead of hyping “podcasting,” we simply told listeners that they could record shows on their computer — or get a (free) subscription so their computer could automatically record programs for them?
…I understand that’s an oversimplification. The podcast subscription model requires people to install software like iTunes, or to use Web-based services like MediaFly, or at least subscribe to an e-mail alert that includes links to manually download shows. Plus, there’s the matter of transferring the program onto the user’s MP3 player. But maybe this initial linguistic strategy might be more successful in overcoming people’s initial hurdle of understanding.
I may be way off on this one. However, talking to people on the street about this was so much fun, I just might make that left turn another time.
