‘Startlingly utility’ raises interesting questions of its own about what to sacrifice in order to achieve it. So, for instance, while in many of the new generation of tech brands utility is accompanied by beautiful design, it doesn’t have to be. I have always liked the pride that Craig Newmark of Craigslist takes, for instance, in the remark that his site has ‘all the visual appeal of a pipe wrench’, and he has no plans to change that. It is well designed to deliver utility, rather than beautifully designed.

So perhaps an important fork in the road for us as one looks to develop Startling Utility for one’s brand is whether beautiful adds or detracts – is is something that needs to be added to seduce users into making the most of the utility, or something to sacrifice because it would simply get in the way…