http://pixelpoppin.com/kidpix/
Craig Hickman has some great UI principles he used when developing the first version of Kid Pix. Its interesting to note that these were developed as a result of observations of how his three year old son interacted with MacPaint.
Kid Pix was one of the first computer programs I used in my life and heavily influences how I think about software today. That is, I believe software should be easy to navigate, fun to use, open ended, and extensible. Whether its native programs or a web application, the prime directives that guided Hickman in the creation of Kid Pix are all inspiration for me and in some capacity, the criteria by which I judge software and web apps today.
The guiding principle when building software for people and by extension a user interface is understanding people. Kid Pix was so successful because it sought to make painting on a computer fun. Despite being widespread in elementary school computer labs across America, you didn’t have to a kid to enjoy playing with it. I think that a large aspect of Kid Pix success was derived from its simplicity and focus on the user. This quote from Hickman sums it up:
Users are very smart and can tell quickly when someone is trying to cover up a lame program with flashy graphics. A poor program gets dull very soon no matter how trendy the interface is.
Recently, if you’ve been living on planet earth and more specifically the United States section of planet earth then you’ve probably seen a spike in the number of Apple related news and commentary around the internet. It seems that with the recent launch of the iPad and the announcement of iPhone OS 4.0 there has been lots of scrutiny of Apple’s fundamental computing philosophies, business strategies, and developer relations. Neither of those three are mutually exclusive, as they all form the bigger picture which frames how Apple works in the marketplace.
The most noteworthy and widely discussed bit of news is the latest move in switching up a section in the iPhone developer contract effectively further crippling Adobe’s flash platform on the iPhone / iPad. Despite the magnitude of this change in developer relations, I don’t think this is a watershed moment, but it is definitely worth the discourse. I’m largely (and self-admittedly) lacking in iPhone development knowledge. In the short time that I’ve been working in web development, I’ve managed to meet and work with developers from many different and exciting technology camps. However, I have yet to really learn about iPhone development and how it works. Luckily, I got the chance to talk with a iPhone developer and used the occasion to ask a long queue of questions I was curious about. After speaking with an iPhone developer, I now feel I’m able give my perspective as I (finally) feel better informed about everything.
iPhone developers seem to be split on the increased control Apple is exerting over the development environment with OS 4.0. While the majority are undoubtedbly excited and are eagerly exploring new features in the SDK, there are some developers who feel that being unable to use tools such as Adobe’s Flash CS5 to create iPhone apps represents Apple crossing development regulatory boundries that are significantly past anything previously seen. The developer I spoke with told me about Apple’s increasing control over how iPhone apps are developed with every subsequent iPhone OS release. Despite these concerns, the upside of developing for the iPhone and now the iPad is considerably more than other devices/platforms. The interesting note about the most recent is how it coincides with Apple’s battle against Google and Adobe.
Google is without a doubt Apple’s biggest threat moving forward in the mobile space. Android is always gaining marketshare, new devices dropping frequently, and (minus some nexus one issues) a great flagship phone (that seems to be advertised EVERYWHERE on the internet). With these three factors taken into account, its easy to see how Steve Jobs could look at an Android infographic and think “HOLY CRAP!”. Considering the success of the iPad, its evident that Android has a bright future in the tablet space. Whats important here is that everywhere Apple is, Google is right there with them. Apple’s foray into mobile ads highlight how aggressively they are moving into advertising. The unveiling of Game Center is a direct shot at Facebook and Xbox Live in the social gaming space. Both of these new OS 4.0 features are making Apple categorically stronger in the cloud, while offering in-Phone solutions to core services of Google, Xbox, and Facebook. Any developers Apple may have lost with the vicegrip control of what languages they can build apps in and the inability to use cross-compilers, they gained 10-fold by the lure of those two notable features in OS 4.0.
So what does Google do now? Its clear that Apple is slowly boxing them out of their devices and aren’t afraid to develop alternatives to Google’s offerings within their ecosystem. I think we’ll see some surprising announcements from Google in the form of new products and innovations on existing web apps. Google has historically been highly disruptive so disrupting Apple’s runaway success in the mobile space is probably on the priority list for them. The next five months will be fascinating to watch unfold.
Your Users’ Mental Models
So, how do we solve this dilly of a pickle? Let’s start with what we know. Users must have a mental model of computers; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use them at all. However, the scope of this mental model covers, say, user interface widgets and probably some landmark- or list-based navigation. The problem, the thing that makes computers different from cars, is that computers interact differently based on context or conditions outside of our control. Much of this context may not be understood by the user, or may have never been explained. Cars are pretty old technology, and children learn about them in school. By the time we first learn to drive a car, we are expected to have a basic understanding of how it works, however generalized that model is. The same is not true for computers. Computer users are often actively discouraged from learning the underlying principles of what they are doing, and told to focus on the specifics of the interface.
A great example of how this leads to the breakdown of users’ mental models is interaction with the Web. The Web is probably one of the least benign environments for a user on his computer, and yet it is arguably the most successful computing platform. When using the Web, there are numerous contextual or circumstantial errors than can occur, but the majority of users have no mental model with which to understand and recover from them. We looked at four possible causes of the gas pedal not accelerating a car, and yet a web page failing to load can have upward of a dozen causes. Since users lack a mental model, the best plan of action is to try and self-diagnose the error and educate the user. The distinction is important. Although it may seem sufficient to tell users that something went wrong and what they can do next, they eventually are going to get into the same state again with the same confusion. Instead, if there was a problem with the DNS, tell them so, and help them understand what DNS is. Maybe you have to use an analogy of a phone book for website numbers that their computer dials, or maybe you can convey the information in a more straight-up way. However you do it, don’t just let your users keep failing and becoming frustrated. Instead, give them a mental model that will last them a lifetime as a satisfied customer.
-Tom Hughes Croucher
Yahoo! Developer Network Evangelist
From the book Designing Social Interfaces
Recently I’ve been interested in Microsoft’s foray into the retail world. Having a place where one can go and check out all of Microsoft’s products sounded pretty neat. I’ve previously written about recent Microsoft and I believe that retail stores are a step in the right direction. Showcasing the spectrum of devices and services that are under the Microsoft umbrella, while allowing consumers to have a hands on experience is just that thing Microsoft needs as they go forward in todays consumer marketplace.
When I read that they are opening one of their new stores in Mission Viejo, I decided to go check it out. My first impression was that Microsoft basically picked the perfect mall and a great spot for their first retail store. If Microsoft is setting up this store as an experiment (which they are), they certainly did their homework. Demographically and geographically, southern Orange County (where I currently live) is a great area for a Microsoft store.
I also got to chat with a lady that works at the kiosk thats 7 feet from where Microsoft is opening the store and she filled me in on some details.
From the looks of it, there is a lot of curiosity surrounding the opening of this store. People would stop and check out the logos they are familiar with. About eight stores down was an Apple store with quite a bit of activity happening, so it will be interesting to see how this works out, as it will certainly provide shoppers with a technological contrast. Right now, I’m more into the Microsoft store because I’m pretty stoked about the Zune HD and the Xbox 360.
The timing of the opening of this store is fairly on key. Windows 7 is dropping in October, the Zune HD supposedly in September, so I would expect the store to have Windows 7 and the Zune HD on full blast.
Looking at that logo kinda reminds me of that Windows 95 throwback ad.
What about Bing and Office 2010? Well, I’m not too sure about Bing (maybe computers set up with bing.com on them and Bing specialists on deck?), but It will be interesting to see how they integrate Office into the retail experience and leverage the Office online functionality, possibly in a ground level attempt to fight back the Google app attack.
Ultimately, I think the Microsoft store will offer a unique and compelling retail experience. Currently, the buzz is considerable and having seen things first hand, I can assure you that the Mission Viejo store will be hit.
One of the reasons why I love Android as my smartphone OS.
