[Sigia-l] Going from Windows GUI to Browser-Based GUI

[David Heller]

This is one of the biggest issues I face in my design life right now and I
have to say the literature or lack there of is very yucky.

First off, process:
The process for developing and designign a web-based app should be exactly
the same as a desktop GUI. They are both applications and from a design and
process level you still need to do your due diligence: field work, persona
development, task analysis, use case development, prototyping, user testing,
iterations, etc. The web is software plain and simple.

As for where do you find the hardships in the designs themselves, it is
really in user ambivalence in understanding the difference between web and
desktop. There isn't a clean line as to when a user expects a web metaphor
and when they expect a desktop metaphor. My some 100 hours of testing on our
apps show that users just want things to work the way they expect based on
the designs at the time.

We have 2 UI styles. 1 that is trying to emulate a desktop app and one that
is trying to be "webby". This means during our tests we get to see what
moves a user more.

The one that attempts to be a desktop app probably causes the most problems
b/c users base their behavior on recognition and it is really hard to make
everything look like a desktop app (though if you can do all IE, then I
suggest looking at convea.com). What also adds to confusion is that Windows
is confusing the world by allowing mixed metaphor OS level interactions.
Does a click select or open for example? Well I have it at work to be open
and at home to be select. Don't ask me why, I just do. But that means that a
user who sees a list w/ an icon next to it but the item is underlined and
blue text aren't quite sure what to do b/c they didn't make the setting
themselves.

What is clear is that through this ambivalence there are some trends that
recur. No matter the UI style users want drag & drop, hot keys, and context
menus--especially windows users who live in office apps. The gets compounded
when your UI is about object based manipulation.

I think though the most important thing is not usability, but learnability
when it comes to these types of apps and the best way to be learnable to is
to pick something and stick with it. If you waffle by saying this should be
web-like and this should be desktop-like you are just adding a layer of
confusion.

To see more about this stuff I have a case study that I submitted to the DUX
conference last month that partially talks about these issues. You can now
go to the AIGA.org site to see it at
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm?Alias=2003_case_studies (I'm listed towards
the bottom, but there are lots of other great ones to look at, too).

Advice for your engineering team is become expert in DHTML. Make an XHTML
desktop gui is my advice, or break all the rules and create your own pattern
language that is learnable and usable once learned. Personally, I like the
latter but only if you are going to use a Rich Internet App tech like Flash
or similar.

-- dave



-----Original Message-----
From: Deb.Reiser at NuEdgeSystems.com [mailto:Deb.Reiser at NuEdgeSystems.com] 
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 11:24 AM
To: Sigia-l at asis.org
Subject: [Sigia-l] Going from Windows GUI to Browser-Based GUI

I sent this query out pre list crash. Thought I'd try sending it again.

I'd like to get some background on issues UI designers, IAs, UX designers,
et al, encountered when working on a project that involved transforming a
Windows-based application into a browser-based application. I'd be
interested in links to project case studies or summaries of your approach to
the project. I'm even looking for such things as the pros and cons to issues
like porting vs. a total redesign. Are there recommended readings? 
Even stories of things you would do differently if given the chance would be
helpful. 

I may be working so such a project soon and any such background would be
helpful from folks who have worked on such projects. Feel free to reply
privately and I can summarize the posts.

Thanks in advance,

Deb
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