You can now download my new plugin EASILY Add Google Analytics Tracking Code.
It’s the first plugin in the EASILY plugins family.
EASILY plugins is a new concept of software products I’m developing.
EASILY plugins come from the realization: people are busy, people have a life, people have enough problems already without also having to deal with the overcomplicated software that most software companies put out there.
Yes, people want things that “just work.” And they are extremely grateful when somebody makes their life a bit less complicated.
But unfortunately, this is rarely the case with software in general and with WordPress plugins in particular.
Why “easy” plugins are rarely truly easy
Over the years I’ve noticed that one of the biggest problems in Tech is that most people working in the creation of software are ‘too geeky.’ And one of the problems that most geeks have (although there are notable exceptions, of course) is that they struggle to put themselves in the shoes of non-geeky people. They know so much about Tech and they enjoy so much dealing with complex software filled with uncountable settings, that they can’t anymore think like people who are not as familiar with computers as they are.
That’s why most software products, apps, or plugins labeled as “EASY” or as “SIMPLE” are very rarely easy or simple enough. Because they are created by geeks. Those “easy” plugins are the idea of what a geek, that is, a person who is highly-technically-minded, thinks is easy.
Yes, these so-called “easy” plugins tend to have somewhat fewer options, screens, and settings. But never as few as normal users really need. Also, their user interfaces are maybe a bit less cluttered, but they are never truly straightforward. There’s still too much noise, too much learning curve.
Maybe for the geek who created the plugin, that learning curve is nothing. But for the busy non-technical person who just wants to do one specific task quickly and go on with their lives, those 15 minutes of fumbling around till they make the “easy” plugin work are a burden. Those minutes add up to all the other small nuisances and small learning curves that make their fully-packed lives so stressful.
My TRULY easy plugins
Fortunately, I was once a non-technically-minded person myself. I was even a technically-clumsy person, I could say. Now, after years in Tech, despite having become a web developer and making a great living out of it, my innermost nature isn’t still truly technical. There’s still a clumsy, information-overloaded guy in me who pops up in the least expected times. Why, I’m the type of person that is capable of puzzling for a few minutes over the instructions of how to heat a pre-made meal!
So when I create plugins, I really know what a non-technical, information-overloaded person feels when having to deal with Tech. Every feature I create, every design decision I make is tailored to their needs, to making their lives easier.
I’m also a big observer of the people around me. My mom and dad, my brother, my friends are all people who don’t work in Tech but who still need to deal with computers on a daily basis to carry out their jobs or to accomplish other daily tasks. Observing how normal people engage with technology I keep seeing the same patterns of frustration repeating over and over: “Why does everything need to be so complicated?” they always say when using software applications. “Why is this thing designed so poorly?” “It’s so confusing!” “It never quite works the way I want.” “Why couldn’t it just work? Is that so much to ask?”
EASILY plugins are built to fill this (very big) void: truly easy-to-use WordPress plugins. Plugins that do one single thing and do it very well and without hassle. The EASILY plugins are designed with one goal in mind: how can I make this the easiest plugin to accomplish this specific task?
With EASILY plugins the user knows that no unnecessary settings, options, or menu would be present. Also, the visual clutter is reduced to the absolute minimum. And the easy onscreen instructions are granny-proof.
You can now try the first plugin in the EASILY family. As with all the future plugins that will join this family, it does just one thing and only one thing. In this case, that thing is allowing you to add your Google Analytics Tracking Code to your WordPress website.
Give it a try, and tell me if it leaves up to its promise. Could you possibly think of a way to make it even easier?
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