User Interfaces – be creative !

One of the things I find confusing about user interface design for Windows is how some programmers simply want to copy how other applications look, even if those applications are totally different than their own. For example, some people want to add Ribbons to their applications, not because they really believe that ribbons are perfect for their application, but simply because they want their applications to look just like something from Microsoft. Thats the wrong reason to use ribbons. Also while users may initially be impressed by a fancy user interface (ie. “wow, that app uses ribbons”), in the long run how an application works in general and how intuitive it is will have more to do with user satisfaction than the fancy user interface.

Skinning tools at times are the rage, but I am more impressed with how fast (flicker free, smooth, fast) the skin engine works, rather than how fancy it is. For example, the WinLift skin engine (see:  http://zapsolution.com/DW/US/winlift.html ) is fast and lean (small in size). Maybe because it was written using PowerBasic is part of the reason, but the point is that it doesn’t get in the way of the application. I downloaded another skin engine from a link on a programming forum and tried it out. The skin engine was so slow, it was totally unusable. It was fancy and the appearance was nice, but the lack of speed ruined it. Now maybe it works well on leading PC’s, but on my trusty old Windows XP machine (2.5 ghz Celeron CPU, NVidia graphic card and 768 meg ram) it ran terribly.

I am not against a little “eye candy” in an application, but I am more impressed with how fast and smooth (flicker free) an interface is and also how practical it is. I like when a developer adds a feature rarely seen elsewhere, not because it is fancy or the current rage, but because it does something truly worthwhile.  Software developers need to to copy others less and to be more creative. Some times it’s just the little things that make a big difference.  If you are going to copy a feature from anothers application, then make sure it is really something useful. Rather than ask yourself “what is everyone else doing” maybe it would be better to ask yourself “what could I do differently that would make my application easier to use, faster or just simply cleaner”.

To illustrate:

Thing about those who design wooden chairs. Likely you can find many different brand chairs that look similar to each other or with fancy designs in them. While initially most shopping for a chair may be impressed by its looks, what really sells a chair is when you sit down on it and you say “wow, this chair is so comfortable. How did they do that ?” . The real beauty of the chair is not appreciated until you sit in it. A well built chair is one where when you sit in it, you find yourself wondering “what did they do different that made this chair so confortable”. The difference may not be readily apparent. It may even be something very small and not easily noticed, but it is their.

So too with software. Be willing to think deeply about how people use your software and how functional it is. Try to “think outside the box” as they say. Look for ways to make your software easier to use or more friendly. The beauty of software can at times be hidden by its simplicity. One may first look at the software and say “it doesn’t seem that exciting” because it is so simple in design, but like the chair illustration, its when the user “sits down” and uses it that they will be impressed and say “wow, that feels really good” or “its so easy to use”.

True creativity need not be fancy. Some times simple is better. Don’t be afraid to invent new ways of doing things either. Think of the person who invented the pop top for aluminum soda cans. One day they must have said to themself, ‘”so many pull tabs from cans are litering the streets” so what could I do to prevent that ? The solution was so simple (connect the tab to the can so it can’t fall off and it slides inside out of the way). Creativity often comes more from common sense than it does from fanciful thinking. So use some common sense when designing a user interface. Don’t be afraid to design something totally different, even if it appears to be simple in design. The new style pop top on soda cans is so simple, yet it is amazingly useful. Our user interfaces need to be more like that pop top. Simple, clean, elegant and purposeful.