
The Uncanny Valley of User Interface Design: Why web apps shouldn't look like desktop apps - danw
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/05/the_uncanny_val.html
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brlewis
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.

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brianmckenzie
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.

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jamongkad
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.

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far33d
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.

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

