The Ambiguous Interface
We often tout the GUI as the most important design feature in software. It makes sense; it is the most visible part of any software product. But how important is the interface to the overall success of a product? I’ve seen excellent products that have absolutely horrible interfaces – and here’s the thing: they still sell. An excellent product is one which fills a need, and companies will purchase it if it does the job – pretty or not. The problem is that those needs change, and when they do it typically has been expensive and cumbersome to adapt a product to fit those changes.
We Humans are capable of learning new interfaces fairly quickly. Consider the slight variations in telephone keypads – how long does it take us to dial an unfamiliar telephone? How difficult is it to use an unfamiliar automated cash machine? How quickly do we learn the shortcuts for a new mobile phone? Certainly these examples cite both excellent universally acceptable design practices but also our ability as humans to adapt and learn new designs easily. More interesting – I propose it takes the average person less time these days to learn an unfamiliar interface than it did 15 years ago, and I attribute this to the fact that we are presented with new interfaces much more frequently now than we ever have been before.
Case in point: Video game controllers have come a long way in the past 15 years. Atari’s now-nostalgic one button joystick interface bears no resemblance to Microsoft’sXBox 360 ergonomic controller with it’s astounding 25 buttons. Every year another new interface is presented, normally around the time that Santa Claus requires his wish list, and the next plastic race car wheel or wireless band instrument is marketed to eager consumers hungry for a new interface to master.
In business software, the same issues occur. Interfaces grow and change throughout the system life cycle. With time, all interfaces must adapt to support increased functionality – or just as likely increased marketability!
This prospect was once expensive and cumbersome for mobile software, because of the complexity and unique resources required to develop for these relatively obscure platforms. Navara partners use the Navara Design Center to quickly and visually create and modify interfaces for the most popular mobile platforms, so the interface can easily change as the users’ needs change. So when the next change comes depend on Navara, and let’s solve the interWe often tout the GUI as the most important design feature in software. It makes sense; it is the most visible part of any software product. But how important is the interface to the overall success of a product? I’ve seen excellent products that have absolutely horrible interfaces – and here’s the thing: they still sell. An excellent product is one which fills a need, and companies will purchase it if it does the job – pretty or not. The problem is that those needs change, and when they do it typically has been expensive and cumbersome to adapt a product to fit those changes.
Bill McDaniel: Navara Software Engineering
We Humans are capable of learning new interfaces fairly quickly. Consider the slight variations in telephone keypads – how long does it take us to dial an unfamiliar telephone? How difficult is it to use an unfamiliar automated cash machine? How quickly do we learn the shortcuts for a new mobile phone? Certainly these examples cite both excellent universally acceptable design practices but also our ability as humans to adapt and learn new designs easily. More interesting – I propose it takes the average person less time these days to learn an unfamiliar interface than it did 15 years ago, and I attribute this to the fact that we are presented with new interfaces much more frequently now than we ever have been before.
Case in point: Video game controllers have come a long way in the past 15 years. Atari’s now-nostalgic one button joystick interface bears no resemblance to Microsoft’sXBox 360 ergonomic controller with it’s astounding 25 buttons. Every year another new interface is presented, normally around the time that Santa Claus requires his wish list, and the next plastic race car wheel or wireless band instrument is marketed to eager consumers hungry for a new interface to master.
In business software, the same issues occur. Interfaces grow and change throughout the system life cycle. With time, all interfaces must adapt to support increased functionality – or just as likely increased marketability!
This prospect was once expensive and cumbersome for mobile software, because of the complexity and unique resources required to develop for these relatively obscure platforms. Navara partners use the Navara Design Center to quickly and visually create and modify interfaces for the most popular mobile platforms, so the interface can easily change as the users’ needs change. So when the next change comes depend on Navara, and let’s solve the interface puzzle together.
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