So I had this brewing in my head during lunch and I have to document this quickly before it evaporates from my mind.

My question is, what’s more important — new technology or great user experience?

Pro user experience
Let’s say you have a break through technology. It’s awesome. It’s new. Everyone’s loves the idea. Then you create a product out of it, only to have a terrible user experience. Then, no one needs it, everyone’s against it and people begin questioning its importance/value.

Example: the mediocre mp3 players (and the saturated market for it) that came out before the iPod (which monopolized the industry).

iPod is a phenomenal product — one of the greatest products of the decade. Nothing’s easier. Nothing makes more sense. It is a quality, well-thought out product & much of its success can be attributed to user experience.

So, user experience? I’m all about it ‘bout it.

But wait. Here’s the flip side.

Pro technology
Let’s say you have a great user experience for an existing technology. It’s intuitive. It’s fun. Everyone loves it. But then technology does what it typically does. It moves. It changes. It breaks though. Now, the platform for which it works becomes antiquated. Then you have a great user experience in place of total absence. (Think: Disneyland in the middle of [no offense] Arkansas — attendance maybe a little low?).

Example: great Flash websites on an iPad.

Some of my favorites sites, blogs use Flash. The experience is great. It’s very intuitive and helpful as a browser, shopper, read – whatever. But with this rivalry between Apple and Adobe, flash may be outdated sometime in the future as Apple focuses its energy on popularizing HTML5. So, you spend the bookoo on a great Flash website but who knows how long it can sustain?

I really could go on n n on n on n on (sugarhill gang, anyone?). But you get the idea.

So tumblrs, what are your thoughts — is user experience more important, or is the technology?