Out-of-box experience

Out-of-box experience (OOBE pronounced oo-bee) is the experience a consumer (or user) has when preparing to first use a new product. In relation to computing, this includes the setup process of installing and/or performing initial configuration of a piece of hardware or software on a computer. This generally follows the point-of-sale experience or the interaction experience of an expert user.

Overview

The out-of-box experience is typically the first impression a product creates, such as the ease with which a buyer can begin using the product. For hardware products, a positive OOBE can be created with logical easy-to-follow instructions and parts that have a low likelihood of failure.

For software, this often means easy installation and "Welcome" or "Initial Configuration" wizard screens that simplify elaborate set-up. The OOBE can also include the complete lack of such wizards.

The process of installing Microsoft Windows is a common example for OOBE. While the installation is largely automatic, the user must proceed through multiple screens to acknowledge software license terms, specify partition settings for the hard disk, enter the "product key", select international settings, a time zone, and also configure network settings. After the installation is complete, Microsoft Windows launches the "out-of-box experience" application that presents a full-screen wizard to assist the user with critical first steps of using Windows, such as creating a user account, registering the software with Microsoft (optional), configuring Internet connectivity, and product activation. Although this Microsoft application is named after OOBE, the real OOBE began when the user first turned on a new computer and was taken through the initial setup.

Negative experiences

For poor out-of-box experiences, the specific term out-of-box failure (OOBF or OBF) has been coined to describe immediate product failures.

See also

• Frontend
• Interaction design
• Out-of-box failure

References

• IBM ease of Use - Out-of-box experience - guidelines and insights to help other software and hardware companies design out-of-box experiences.
• UsabilityFirst.com's Definition
• Frontend.com article on OOBE