Usable vs. Functional Reminders

"Many programs have the same kind of functionality, but they often differ greatly in terms of usability. The difference between just being able to do something and being able in a usable way is very important. A usable product is faster to use, gives you a higher user satisfaction and helps you keep focus.
A very real example of the difference, are the 'reminder' functionality from Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes. Both programs allow you to create a task or an appointment and add a reminder to it. These reminders will then be displayed at a specific time using a dialog."

See the difference? Both programs are equally capable of handling and displaying reminders. But, there is a huge difference in usability. Outlook provides the information needed (and then some) so that you can get back to your work as quickly as possible.

Lotus Notes completely fails to be usable, by displaying a generic dialog - asking a non-informative question - "You missed one alarm. Do you wish to display it now?". How do I know? How can I answer that question without knowing what the alarm is about? If it is about an important meeting with my boss in 15 minutes, then I would surely want to see it. If it is that I am meeting some friends tomorrow evening - it can wait. But I do not know any of this!