понеділок, 19 листопада 2018 р.

Bullshit: Bad Product Name AKA Kleptomania Features

Getting the name of your product right is one of the hardest things ever. No wonder - it is the first thing that turns up and it should make the impression. 

But there is always some kind of a challenge in the mix. 

Sometimes the name is descriptive but not really expressive. Other times it doesn't really transmit what the product is about. Then there are times when the name of the product is just there. And then there are times when the name is so out there it doesn't really work the way it was supposed to and instead causes acute bout of cognitive dissonance.

Case in point - Kleptomania.

What it is? It is a tool to convert screen images to text with OCR algorithms. It is called that way because it enables OCR's anything in a manner of screensnapping tool. Theoretically, the name like this makes sense but not exactly. Because the word "kleptomania" refers to "inability to refrain from the urge for stealing items" which is not exactly what this application is about.

While the app itself is fine, its name is just so off, it is unintentionally funny. 

There is list of features on the product page and it looks like this:


The list of feature is representative. It gives you more or less complete understanding of what this thing is capable of.

However, taken outside of context - the name of the product in the heading creates unintentional cognitive dissonance. Really hard and punishing cognitive dissonance. Because it says "Kleptomania features" and when you read "Kleptomania features" you think about "inability to refrain from the urge for stealing items" and not "OCR Screensnap Tool". The combination of the list and the title creates weird piece of conceptual writing.


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