How the Cloud Changes the Application Model for UX

sgerety — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:49:00 GMT

We've heard an amazing amount about the cloud at PDC. And if you think about it, the cloud is going to change the application model for User Experience. We're going to see a flip in the model from the desktop to the cloud.

Currently we have the web 2.0 AJAX model and desktop applications to use a simplified viewpoint. The desktop applications that we use may also have a companion application, usually a web based app that you use when you're away from your desktop. For example, Outlook and OWA (or Outlook Web Access) or Picasa (desktop) and Picasa web.

Now, we're seeing the web pushed down to desktop via Google Gears, Adobe Air and soon Silverlight. Frameworks/ runtimes that allow "web apps" to run on your desktop.

Now we use the web for our email, projects, documents, conferences, photos and social networking. Our applications and data live in the cloud, which allows us to share and collaborate more, all via mobile, desktop, web and API's.

I think we'll see some interesting usage patterns.

App's hosted in the cloud.
Online in the cloud, and offline on the desktop.
The cloud as a mesh between an applications. (Picasa and Picasa web)
The cloud as a connector between applications.
The cloud as a Sync between devices (Mesh)
The cloud as the disk drive (Especially once we get high speed transactional TCP/IP)

Now as Designers, Developers and Architects we should take all of these into account and how our applications behave and interact.

This week I'll be attending the Microsoft Strategic Architect Forum and this will be one of discussions. It should fit in nicely with the three different tracks.

I'll blog about it when I get back.

What's ESOMM got to do with UX?

sgerety — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 02:48:00 GMT

A lot. Here's a digital version of a index card that I created a while back after reading this article on ESOMM.

What is ESOMM? It's the Enterprise Service Orientation Maturity Model. I won't rehash the article but if you don't have some ESOMM and you've got web services, life is going to suck for you when it comes to things like service visioning, and migration. Take a look at the following matrix from the article above. Actually, here's the link to "Enabling the Service-Oriented Enterprise" if you don't want to scroll up. This matrix covers all the elements needed for an enterprise. Are your services Usable, Repeatable, Supportable and Extensible? Do you have Implementation, Consumption and Administration strategies?

If you overlaid the index card on top of the graphic (see below), you'll notice that you can use web services, however when you start implementing things on an enterprise level. Things are going to get confusing and painful quick. ("Wait, what version of web service X is customer Y using currently and when do they migrate to web service X version 2.0 with the breaking changes?") Confusing and painful experiences like that are going to ruin the UX (User Experience) for not only the consumers of those services, but also for the enterprise. And remember UX is not just UI, it's architecture.

Sean

Sean's Idea Kitchen : SOA

How the Cloud Changes the Application Model for UX

What's ESOMM got to do with UX?