Hi Paul,
In the past, I aimed to align my application UI closely with the host
OS, believing that a consistent UI ensures broad accessibility. However,
over time, I've come to see that while UI continuity is beneficial, it
isn't the ultimate solution.
This realization hit home when I managed a team for a large enterprise
client. We had programs that mimicked the host OS UI while others
sported a completely unique UI. To my surprise, the consistency of the
UI mattered little to my team—most only used technology to fulfill their
core tasks. The outdated screen snapshots and hand-annotations in the
department's process documentation underscored this point.
The design nuances, like font choices, weren't as problematic as a
complete UI overhaul. An entire UI revamp meant new documentation and
snapshots, consuming a significant chunk of my time and increasing my
managerial stress. While one could argue these issues stem from a lack
of training or poor work environment, the reality is such teams exist,
and they will be your users and sources of feedback.
Now, my focus is on ensuring the UI fits the program's purpose rather
than matching the host OS. Continuity matters, but it isn't paramount. I
tread cautiously with UI changes, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
Gathering feedback early and consistently is key. If considering major
UI shifts, I seek feedback upfront.
Considering the topic, I highly recommend Bret Victor's "Inventing on
Principle" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUv66718DII) I believe
LiveCode resonates with Bret's ideas, and I've been integrating his
concepts into my work. Well worth the engaging 54 minute presentation.
Hope this provides some insight,
Derek Bump
On 9/27/23 09:49, Paul Dupuis via use-livecode wrote:
(A) Do you try to make your interfaces across platforms the SAME (as
much as possible)?
OR
(B) Do you TAILOR each interface for the specific platform (as much as
possible)?
And optionally, an opened ended question: Does your answer depend of
what platforms you are deploying for?
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