>At 06:38 PM 10/27/99 +0000, you wrote:
> >
> >Generally speaking, the definition of what constitutes
> >"better" depends upon the task being done.
>
>Then don't try and tell me that you shouldn't add a "done" button simply
>because most people don't add them.
The point about not adding a Done or Exit button to an app because
other apps don't have them is important and not just a matter of
being pedantic. It is not an organized effort to quash individuality
on the part of the application designer, but a nudge to help
developers create successful applications.
The Palm platform became successful quickly for a number of reasons,
but chief among them is that its technology is largely invisible to
the largest number of users, that great mass of folks who buy
technology after the early adopters. And it is invisible in large
part because it is predictable: buttons tend to have the same size
and perform the same functions and appear in the same places from
application to application.
Predictability makes using an app easier on the folks who didn't
write it, and when all apps on a platform are equally predictable,
the user wins. The user no longer spends that extra amount of time
thinking "Now, I think this application uses a different button for
this feature" or "I think I remember that this app does something
different when I tap 'Done' than other apps." The user wins because
the application no longer gets between the user and what he wants to
accomplish. This makes for happy platform users, and ultimately,
happy application customers.
There are ample opportunities to be creative and exhibit
individuality on the Palm platform. And there are no hard and fast
rules, only guidelines. But before you wander outside the guidelines,
be sure you understand the reasons and the consequences of doing so.
Ask yourself which is more important: emulating the simplicity of a
successful platform, or doing something just to be different and
hoping for the best.
JB
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JB Parrett 603-673-5046
True North, Inc. 603-673-5035 FAX
9 Pulpit Run [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Amherst, NH 03031-1510 http://northisup.com
Tranquilo Pa: A wise Paraguayan phrase that means 'you might as well
just bask in the sheer weirdness of it all.'
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