The widget space may be getting crowded (see Michael Arrington’s post on “The Attack of the Advertising Widgets“), but when a series of widgets come out that are actually useful, we get to see just how “cool” widgets can be.

TechCrunch reports that mpire has just launched over 75 widgets that are pointed at ebay and Amazon, and that they are adding value by incorporating mpire’s own shopping data, giving trend analysis capabilities for a set of categories.

I’m really starting to warm up to widgets- when they provide something useful. Because let’s face it: there are many widgets out there that provide little or no actual value. When I was first introduced to the widget world after buying a laptop with Vista, I noticed that the majority of widgets out there were of very little use to me. Sure, I could download a widget that counts down to the world premiere of Spiderman 3, but couldn’t I just put an X on my calendar? And when the movie is released, the widget is useless.

But now I’m starting to see more widgets that actually do something. A great widget is one that can take the place of more than one web site. For instance, if a widget can tell me the current bid on a particular ebay auction, that’s nice, but it is something I could do by going to the auction page. However, if a widget can tell me the current bid, how many similar items are being auctioned on ebay, pricing trends, and other comparison data….then I’m interested. It makes life easier for me.

Here’s how I think about widgets:

1. Are they desktop-worthy? When I look at my crowded taskbar and desktop, I think of it in real-estate terms. I have a finite amount of space (and attention), so a widget has to have compelling value if I’m going to allow it in my space.

2. Are they valuable? I’m always looking for a way to save a few clicks. If I can save more than, say 3, I am interested in checking it out. A good example of a widget I don’t care about is a clock widget. I already have the time conveniently displayed in the lower right corner of my screen, and I am used to looking there. So installing and using a clock widget (no matter how pretty) just isn’t worth it.

3. Do I have to change my routine? If a widget has passed the click-saving test but makes me change the way I normally do things, that could be an issue. If it saves me time and energy, I am all for changing my behavior. If it causes me to add an extra step, even if there is a net gain in efficiency, I may revert to my old ways and ignore the widget.

4. Is it cool? For some reason (to me at least) widgets just feel “cool.” There is something about having something residing on my desktop outside of the browser that is inherently cooler than visiting a web site. I’m at a loss for words on this, but if you are a widget user, you probably know what I mean. And despite the other three criteria above, if a widget just feels good, I’ll probably use it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 10:52 am and is filed under Media Delivery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.