- From: Nigel McFarlane <nrm@kingtide.com.au>
- Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:33:33 +1000
> However, having said that, making things better for users is good too: > what do you think needs improving in terms of user experience with Web > applications? The point I keep coming back to with Web apps is that they are a fundamentally different use-case to Web docs. Web docs are "browsed" and "read", which can be re-phrased as "lightly navigated". They are visited "ad-hoc" or casually. Web apps are "tightly navigated" and subject to "data entry". They are visited "repetitively" or routinely. Of course, it's possible to build a DHTML page that's tightly navigable without the user having to absorb a lot of information about images and white areas. It's just not done much. And it's not possible to navigate a Web app by keyboard without the focus moving to the toolbar (irritating) or else providing a pop-up window. The web bolt-on technique of "breadcrumbing" is an example of how HTML is encumbered by lack of fast navigation techniques. There are no breadcrumbs in WinZip or in MYOB/GnuCash/QuickBooks (for example), and no nedd for them. I touched on this recently here: http://www.webreference.com/programming/xul/index.html I'm not saying that's a full analysis, but it does contrast and compare some HTML tricks with XUL ones. - Nigel. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nigel McFarlane nrm at kingtide.com.au Services: Analysis, Programming, Writing, Education Expertise: Software, Telecommunications, Internet, Physics "Rapid Application Development with Mozilla" / www.nigelmcfarlane.com
Received on Friday, 11 June 2004 02:33:33 UTC