Web Directions North » Blog Archive » The Future of Web Interfaces by Cameron Adams

• The debate about resolutions in regards to web interfaces:
  • Not much of a debate anymore because of all the available devices and smaller resolutions related to those devices.
  • We need to be able to deal with all of them.
• Dynamic interfaces is not the same as dynamic content.
• “You can’t make a design that’s perfect for everyone.”
• Flexibility:
  • Font size.
  • Font availability.
  • Page width.
  • JavaScript.
• Dynamic interfaces increase the range of the interface and hopefully provide a better experience for more users.
• We have the technology to easily provide these interfaces to users.
• Approaches:
  • User-driven
  • Developer-driven
• User-driven:
  • Users are constantly looking for more/better ways to consume information.
  • How can we make dynamic interfaces easier to use?
  • Allow users to customize right on the page rather than customize, save, refresh, repeat.
  • Can we transfer the idea of palette-based (desktop) interfaces to the web? e.g. iGoogle
  • The new BBC home page is a great example of customizing content and layout i.e. changing the layout to suit your needs.
  • Beyond HTML:
    • Canvas – available in Safari, Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer (with a plugin).
    • HTML document with added interactivity such as graphing and interface elements.
    • Yahoo! Pipes is a great example of Canvas use.
  • These interfaces can be created easily using JavaScript and even plain old forms to choose options.
  • The most important thing to remember: separate data, style, and behavior.
• Developer-driven:
  • Change the interface/feedback based on user-interaction.
  • Serving different layouts depending on browser window size.
  • These two are client-side analysis.
  • Server-side analysis – different layout depending on user’s logged-in status, etc.
  • make sure you don’t shock the user, provide options.
• Providing these ideas/options is a lot of work, but will provide a better quality experience for your users.
• Technology is never a barrier for long because it changes so quickly.

Posted by Jeff on 31/01/08 at 11:45 am