The Uncanny Valley of User Interface Design: Why web apps shouldn't look like desktop apps

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8 points·danw··5 comments

The most pertinent Bill Higgins quote is this one:

Gmail uses Ajax to accelerate common operations (e.g. email address auto-complete) and to enable data transfer sans jarring page refresh (e.g. refresh Inbox contents) but its core look and feel remains very similar to that of a traditional web page. In my view, this is not a shortcoming; it's a smart design decision.

I'm in agreement with the article. Most of the desktop-mimic web apps I've used just plain suck. They feel like really slow, crappy desktop apps, as if you were running Lotus Notes on a 10-year-old windows machine, only worse.

This isn't to say that 'web'-style interfaces don't have room for improvement, but it's a different ballgame than the desktop. On the web we have load time concerns, a different toolset for building the interface, and different considerations in terms of color and space.

Not to mention the precedents set by every other web page that has come before which people are used to. Geez, we have to do a scriptaculous hilite on every xhr just so people will notice what's going on.

ugh tell me about it....I think it was 37Signals who invented the yellow highlight or whatever they call it. For me I believe AJAX is a precision tool much like a scalpel, if used as such it will create rich user experiences. On the other hand if swung like an axe, it will only introduce a world of hurt to the users.

I think this is also a big reason why flash hasn't become more common for interfaces. It just doesn't feel like the web.

Good points, but then again, oddpost got acquired specifically because it was so much like a desktop app.

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