NilObject

I feel that we’ve reached an interesting point in software design as web applications become more interactive. Regardless of what the UI guidelines for your given platform detail, the real goals of design as I see it are:

• Familiarity: Is the user able to use your application by leveraging existing knowledge learned from other applications?
• Simplicity: Do you really need those 50 checkboxes of options for your advanced search?
• Ease of Use: Does a user need a manual to use your program?

I don’t believe that UI guideline conformance belongs on this list of design goals, and here’s why: With more and more content being delivered as web applications, the rules of design have changed because what the user is most familiar with is their browser and the web applications they routinely use. I feel that desktop software currently still has the best potential to deliver the best user experience, but I also feel that web applications are often kicking the butt of desktop applications in terms of the above three metrics.

And what I’m seeing is that the programs who throw out conventional desktop application design can often yield a better experience. A few quick examples: Delicious Library, NetNewsWire 3, Coda, and iLife. These applications use custom interface elements for portions of the program because they provide a more familiar and simpler way of presenting and interacting with “data.”

What’s interesting to note is that none of these programs are without competition. In fact I knew someone with a Delicious Library-like application that was released before Delicious Library, and it followed the UI standards down to the button. However, that application never took off while Delicious Library quickly became an extremely popular application and sparked the “delicious” revolution in many developers’ imaginations.

Let’s take a closer look at an application that I recently replaced with a web app: NetNewsWire. It’s interesting because I had a draft of an article talking about this mentality change after I had switched from NetNewsWire to Google Reader. The reason? Two-fold actually — the syncing feature in NetNewsWire didn’t work that great, and I preferred the simplistic UI of Google Reader over NetNewsWire’s three-pane approach. After beginning writing the post, I noticed NetNewsWire 3 was announced. I must confess I haven’t retested syncing, but the interface: it now offers a similar interface to that of Google Reader!

I find this progression interesting, because I know NetNewsWire wasn’t the only RSS reader that used the three-pane approach. While I won’t claim that these programs copied Google Reader or Blogline’s UI, I find it interesting that the default implementation of how the “web guys” solved it has become the best UI on a desktop application. To this extent, I believe designing your program as if you were going to make it a web application may inspire new ways at solving information display issues.

Common user interface guidelines are good for certain things like forms or dialogs. However when designing the core portion of your application, try to be creative and solve the problem in the best way imaginable.

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Well, unfortunately I didn’t attend this year due to everything going on around here, but I certainly read up on everyone’s comments and the announcements, and I have to say things are pretty … much the same as last year.

Ok, I know there were a few holdouts, but nothing worth holding back IMHO. Stacks — sure, they’re cool and I’ll use them to simplify my dock even further. Reflective dock? Ok, spiffy, but useful? Not in the least bit. Reworked Finder? Ok, now we’re talking, but it certainly isn’t Earth-shattering.

But really, I’m a little bit disappointed. I mean I’m still looking forward to Leopard, but I guess I let my hopes get up that there was something major being hidden. In reality, it seems like a lot of the same stuff as last year.

What was everyone else’s reaction?

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People experience wonderful things whose code hasn’t changed in a long time.
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Well, last time you heard from me I was looking for some contracting jobs. Several of you came through, and while I’m always willing to consider more projects, the honeymoon will be a good honeymoon with what extra work I was able to do. Thanks!

So, that’s what’s occupied most of my time. That, and being sick. It’s weird that after so long without being sick I all of a sudden get very ill twice in the same month. Hopefully I just got unlucky twice.

There’s the Cocoa update. He’s doing great. He was being cute the other day, wanting attention. When he wants attention when I’m at my computer, he’ll come lay his head on my knee, and look up at me with his best puppy-dog eyes. I hate to give in since it encourages the behavior, but I have to sometimes.

I now have two side project ideas I’m developing. It’s hard to decide what to work on. One has at least one guaranteed customer. The other could potentially make more money. Both of them I want to use myself. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Well, I need to get back to work. I’ll try to post another algorithm problem solution, probably a bit trickier this weekend. If you have good problem ideas, feel free to comment.

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