Comments on: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:49:22 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Contrast | The Blog | Gmail finds a new Uncanny Valley http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-154 Contrast | The Blog | Gmail finds a new Uncanny Valley Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:05:58 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-154 [...] familiar with the Uncanney Valley that is the gap between desktop interfaces and accurately recreated, desktop-lik.... But there’s an Uncanney Valley between real web interfaces and mock web interfaces, which [...] [...] familiar with the Uncanney Valley that is the gap between desktop interfaces and accurately recreated, desktop-lik…. But there’s an Uncanney Valley between real web interfaces and mock web interfaces, which [...]

]]> By: EvilTed http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-152 EvilTed Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:02:53 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-152 Just because it violates YOUR mental model Bill doesn't mean it does so for others. Not everyone has the 12 year old baggage on the Web you have and more and more people are expecting rich desktop functionality in their Web apps. In fact, if this were the case, we'd never have evolved from HTML 1.0 would we? The reason Gmail is successful is because it is Google. Google Wave is written with their RIA toolkit GWT looks very much like a desktop application and nothing like your outdated Web model... Just because it violates YOUR mental model Bill doesn’t mean it does so for others.

Not everyone has the 12 year old baggage on the Web you have and more and more people are expecting rich desktop functionality in their Web apps.

In fact, if this were the case, we’d never have evolved from HTML 1.0 would we?

The reason Gmail is successful is because it is Google.
Google Wave is written with their RIA toolkit GWT looks very much like a desktop application and nothing like your outdated Web model…

]]> By: Ross http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-153 Ross Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:26:57 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-153 "I went to the Uncanny Valley and all I got were funny looks" ;-) http://www.cafepress.com/Amicus.397866354 “I went to the Uncanny Valley and all I got were funny looks”
;-)

http://www.cafepress.com/Amicus.397866354

]]> By: Sten’s Blog » Blog Archive » Dumbing Down Our User Experience http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-148 Sten’s Blog » Blog Archive » Dumbing Down Our User Experience Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:28:27 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-148 [...] from now, but for the present trying to erase the line between the two types is what leads us to “The Uncanny Valley of User Interface Design”, as outlined in Bill Higgins’ excellent post. In a nutshell: web apps should conform to a [...] [...] from now, but for the present trying to erase the line between the two types is what leads us to “The Uncanny Valley of User Interface Design”, as outlined in Bill Higgins’ excellent post. In a nutshell: web apps should conform to a [...]

]]> By: Bill Higgins http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-150 Bill Higgins Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:05:35 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-150 @alinear Great points. I think I agree with your last paragraph and this is a flaw in my argument. @alinear Great points. I think I agree with your last paragraph and this is a flaw in my argument.

]]> By: alinear http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-149 alinear Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:01:36 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-149 I don't think one can cite Active Desktop and the horribly kludgy Java attempts at mimicking native UI widgets as adequate cause not to deviate from 'expected norms'. Let's face it - the problem with these implementations is not that they changed the game, but is that they did so very poorly. I'm also amused when anyone goes on about UX design based on paradigms that have hardly baked for more than a single generation. I have reasonable doubt my daughter is going to think of a web application as even being a 'web application', let alone something that should resemble today's gmail garbage (I'm hoping she won't even be shackled to a mouse). There is nothing wrong with applications for the web, desktop or otherwise that deviate from expectation or blur boundaries, provided they do so purposefully and with good design. But really it is time we stopped worrying about context and focused mainly on purpose. I don’t think one can cite Active Desktop and the horribly kludgy Java attempts at mimicking native UI widgets as adequate cause not to deviate from ‘expected norms’. Let’s face it – the problem with these implementations is not that they changed the game, but is that they did so very poorly.

I’m also amused when anyone goes on about UX design based on paradigms that have hardly baked for more than a single generation. I have reasonable doubt my daughter is going to think of a web application as even being a ‘web application’, let alone something that should resemble today’s gmail garbage (I’m hoping she won’t even be shackled to a mouse).

There is nothing wrong with applications for the web, desktop or otherwise that deviate from expectation or blur boundaries, provided they do so purposefully and with good design. But really it is time we stopped worrying about context and focused mainly on purpose.

]]> By: Should Cloud Products Look Like Installed Apps? | CloudAve http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-151 Should Cloud Products Look Like Installed Apps? | CloudAve Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:23:36 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-151 [...] valley, a notion that begun with robotics but has been extended to software design. Bill Higgins espouses on the software aspects of the uncanny valley when he says [...] [...] valley, a notion that begun with robotics but has been extended to software design. Bill Higgins espouses on the software aspects of the uncanny valley when he says [...]

]]> By: crawlspace|media » Blog Archive » Daily Ma.gnolia Links for December 21 http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-147 crawlspace|media » Blog Archive » Daily Ma.gnolia Links for December 21 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:05:07 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-147 [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design We’ve had the tools to create richer web applications ever since pre-standards DOMs and Javascript 1.0, but it’s only been the combination of DOM (semi-)standardization, XHR de-facto standardization, emerging libraries, and exemplary next-gen apps like Google Suggest and Gmail that have led to a non-trivial segment of the software community to attempt richer web UIs which I believe we’re now lumping under the banner of ‘Ajax’ (or is it ‘RIA’?). [...] [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design We’ve had the tools to create richer web applications ever since pre-standards DOMs and Javascript 1.0, but it’s only been the combination of DOM (semi-)standardization, XHR de-facto standardization, emerging libraries, and exemplary next-gen apps like Google Suggest and Gmail that have led to a non-trivial segment of the software community to attempt richer web UIs which I believe we’re now lumping under the banner of ‘Ajax’ (or is it ‘RIA’?). [...]

]]> By: Infovore » links for December 19th http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-146 Infovore » links for December 19th Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:03:10 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-146 [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design "I’d recommend that if you’re considering or actively building Ajax/RIA applications, you should consider the Uncanny Valley of user interface design and recognize that when you build a “desktop in the web browser”-style application, you’re violating users’ unwritten expectations of how a web application should look and behave. This choice may have significant negative impact on learnability, pleasantness of use, and adoption." Yes. (tags: interaction design web ux usability aesthetics billhiggins ) [...] [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design "I’d recommend that if you’re considering or actively building Ajax/RIA applications, you should consider the Uncanny Valley of user interface design and recognize that when you build a “desktop in the web browser”-style application, you’re violating users’ unwritten expectations of how a web application should look and behave. This choice may have significant negative impact on learnability, pleasantness of use, and adoption." Yes. (tags: interaction design web ux usability aesthetics billhiggins ) [...]

]]> By: The PHA : Bookmarks for December 18th from 14:49 to 14:49 http://billhiggins.us/blog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/comment-page-2/#comment-145 The PHA : Bookmarks for December 18th from 14:49 to 14:49 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:01:16 +0000 http://billhiggins.us/weblog/2007/05/17/the-uncanny-valley-of-user-interface-design/#comment-145 [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design - [...] [...] Bill Higgins :: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design – [...]

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