Presentation of Edwin Aoki (AOL, Netscape) why Web Apps are dead and still very alive from the FOWA Expo “Future Of Web Apps”.

Big conclusion, no one cares about Web Apps, SaaS, PaaS etc. They just want to do the stuff the easiest way.

Hey nice! That means we got some work to do for Mr. and Mrs. user experience designers (OK, people don´t care either what your job title is, just get it done)

> View the video here

Posted in Interaction Design, SaaS (Software as a Service), SaaS User Interface Design, User Experience, User Interface   Tagged: Interaction Designer, interface design, SaaS, SaaS user experience, Web Apps   

SaaS, PaaS and Haas: Hardware as a Service. Or in other words: thin clients.

So what is the role of SaaS in this all?

Most of thin clients are connected to a server in their LAN in order to guarantee fast connections. Next step obviously will be a connection via web. Making it possible to combine servers in one location, maybe even using PaaS and cloud computing. Everything as a service.

SaaS and Haas: a perfect couple. Thin clients are not made to run a lot of software and don´t have a lot of storage. So Saas fits in perfectly. Moreover it brings down IT administration costs (in the mean time, use www.ntradmin.com until you have all computers replaced by thin clients)

Is the need to always have a web/LAN connection  problem? I would say no. Now yes, but looking at the trend of browsers storing data locally and web applications turning to thin desktop apps with a possibility to function without connection, the future is thin clients!

Posted in SaaS User Interface Design, User Experience, User Interface   Tagged: SaaS, SaaS (Software as a Service), User Experience, User Interface   

Came across a very interesting thesis written by Christof van Nimwegen on providing assistance in user interfaces.

To get to the point: If you help the user too much they won´t learn and remember. If you let him learn by himself with minimal clues he will be able to work faster, with interruptions and will remember how to use for a longer period of time.

Makes sense: driving a car needs quite something to learn, you hardly forget and you can do it while singing along the radio. Imagine a car with instructions on the steering wheel, the pedals and the gear stick.

So what can be a solution: At an initial stage teach people how to use it or give them easy access to instructions, and during normal/repetitive use give the minimal necessary feedback so they can work fast.

> Download the PDF here

Posted in Interaction Design, Interaction Designer, SaaS User Interface Design, User Experience, User Interface   Tagged: Interaction Designer, interface design, SaaS User Interface Design, User Experience, user interface design   

A very good interview with Lawson´s CEO, Harry Debes about SaaS. He mentioned that he lived through the SaaS hypes (allthough called differently) already two times and that all failed. His main criticism is that he says that it all depends on the product itself, regardless of the shape it takes: SaaS, desktop whatever.

I completely agree. SaaS applications will be available as desktop applications, desktop applications will be available as SaaS, SaaS applications are available on your mobile and you as a user will choose what you prefer.

One thing that did change since the last waves of SaaS is that bandwith is bigger, more people are connected and that the technical possibilities are wider. So more products are possible (like our NTRsupport or NTRadmin) and better in day to day use than they were a few years ago.

“We use Salesforce.com, and I like it. But I would’ve bought the product even if it wasn’t SaaS. The success of Salesforce.com, in my opinion, has to do with their product being good, not because it’s SaaS.” Harry Debes, CEO Lawson

> Read the whole article at ZDnet

Posted in SaaS (Software as a Service)   Tagged: SaaS, SaaS (Software as a Service)   

So software is moving online. This brings one disadvantage and that is that you can make the interaction works as you want it to be.

This is actually great and not a problem when we are talking about a normal website, but creates trouble when we are talking about applications.

If everybody is creating different user interfaces the users will have to learn time and time again how it works. For example software for Windows or Mac always uses the same standards and ways of working because it is easier to do so using the development tools Microsoft and Apple give you.

Now comes in the copycat´s role. Happily there are a lot of user interface designers that are consciously not inventing the wheel again or maybe they just have a lack of creativity: they use what our big brothers do and what people are used to.

So hereby I would like to salute the copycats and praise their contribution to usability. Long live the copycat!

Posted in Interaction Design, SaaS (Software as a Service), SaaS User Interface Design, User Experience, User Interface   Tagged: SaaS, Software as a service, User Interface, user interface design   

Microsoft announced that in Windows 7 it will have multitouch capabilities and that that would be the way forward and the next big thing. So Apple launched multitouch for the iPhone, great idea and big success.

Multitouch, great for your phone (trying to click with a pen on an HTC Windows Mobile drives me nuts) or for a touch screen kiosk or a tablet PC.

But how do they imagine you sitting in fron of your computer? In the very comfortable pose of having your arms raised manipulating things on the screen? Don´t think so. Let´s keep ergonomics in proportion and focus first on a comfortable pose to work and then on how the interaction ergonomics will work.

> See a video on how comfortable it is

Posted in User Experience, User Interface   Tagged: multitouch, User Experience, User Interface, user interface design   

Not sure if they do it just as a hobby as there is no advertisement but they must have put some work into Sumo.

Posted in SaaS (Software as a Service), SaaS Product Review, User Interface   Tagged: Flash, SaaS, User Experience, user experience design, User Interface, user interface design   

To increase efficiency between interface design and development XAML could be a great format. Digging into it I came across the only tool I could find to create XAML: Microsoft Blend.

Let´s be honest, interface graphic designers use photoshop and maybe fireworks. No chance you get them to learn another program where you have to nearly code the animations and that doesn´t work with tablets. Although it is a good try from Microsoft I still have to meet the first designer using it.

It is a bit like your little brother’s first attempt to cooking. You will eat it, but won’t think twice of buying his burnt cake in the supermarket.

So what is missing? A good interface between Photoshop and XAML.

Adobe? What are you waiting for?

Posted in SaaS Product Review, User Interface   Tagged: Microsoft Blend, User Experience, user experience design, user interface design