Many visionaries predict that the next Windows will be built through the web browser. They believe that Google will host these largely distributed applications, and Windows will come crashing down. This is only slightly after the fact that they had a hard enough time selling consumers on the idea of open source. I guess they didn’t think roach motels were that hard to break. The plan seems great, it seems futuristic. I go to any computer and log in to find that all of my applications and data are there to use at a whim. Sounds terrific! I mean, look at all of the visionaries who are predicting it.
Well, on second thought, many of the visionaries have a significant stake in making it succeed. That is their only way to tap the money they so dearly want. So, in a sense, these guys just don’t see it as the future, they see it as the only future in which they survive. Are they visionaries or businessmen? Look, let’s be honest, everyone wants a slice of the pie; I’ll give them that much, at least.
They just forgot one thing…On small thing…
Computers have continually advanced throughout time. And, it is through this progression that people become dependent on the infrastructure and presentation to which they have become accustomed. They will only upgrade if the next big thing sits on the shoulders of the past. Imagine that I came out with a killer word processor with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the likes, but it ran on a character-based input. I wouldn’t sell one copy. This is a drastic example, but it proves that I must use a GUI (Graphical User Interface) in order to take the next leap and add AI to my word processor. It is a requirement, not a suggestion.
Now, fast forward till today. On one hand, there are these games that keep coming out that have killer graphics (absolutely spectacular), and on the other we have the static web, with a few hints of dynamism. On the one hand, we have these people getting used to playing these games with rich interaction, on the other we have a system where information is seamlessly connected to everyone.
Now, do you seriously expect people to drop the games? Or do you expect them to drop the interconnectedness? I suspect neither.
People want stunning applications with magnificent graphics, extravagant interaction, and incredible connectedness.
So, please tell me, visionaries, how in the world do you plan for me to turn my back on the graphics and responsiveness that I have become accustomed to? I think you can’t ask the question, it’s ridiculous. I may be biased towards rich graphics since this article comes to you from a source who is a major proponent of the Avalon graphics system for Windows. But, it’s not just me. Everyone loves rich graphics. That’s why those computer animated films are becoming so popular. Pixar and Dreamworks are making great products, and people love them (if you don’t believe, check how much money they have made). People love TV. That is almost too evident.
Software is at an age in which graphics and UI (User Interface) really matter. If you don’t have a great experience, your customers won’t use your product. Point. And, that is only the tip of the iceberg. I think modern UI’s are antiquated. Microsoft Office is great, but I feel a revolution is upon us. Transparencies, rounded edges, gradients, and animation are a few of the concepts that are around the corner. Stunning interaction in which things are moving with crisp refresh and making me enjoy the product, connect with it.
How does a designer make a user connect with their product? They make their product evoke emotions in the user. So, that they have a bond. When the next version comes out, they are hesitant to upgrade, no because it is not a better product, but because the user and the product are bonded. They share feelings together. I have digressed, but this is the next step in software.
Now, onto the web. The web is also antiquated, at least for the sake of the users. Like it or not, Microsoft has brought the computer industry so far in the simple fact that there was only one platform. I don’t care if you don’t like it, but we, as a society, were not to the point where our software from different platforms could integrate seamlessly. I just can’t begin to say how much that one monopolistic operating system has done for us, for the sake of users. For the sake of my grandma.
But, the web is only what its name implies – a communication network. HTML over HTTP is just one aspect. Why does the web have to be so apparent? When I want to check stock prices: I care nothing about web browsers. I care nothing about web sites and domain names. I care nothing about navigation and advertisements. I care about the stock prices and that is it.
We are on the verge of abstracting the web. Why? Because my grandma doesn’t care about the web. She cares for ideas and information, and the web is just a confusion point. She cares for rich graphics and interaction.
There is no reason why I should beat the idea with a stick, but you see where I am going. You may ask how I am so sure this is where things are going. The answer is because I am working on a product weeks away from shipping that encompasses all ideas that I have talked about, and users love it. If that isn’t evidence enough, then I don’t know what is.