Get Some Chrome for Your Ice Cream Sandwich
Unsurprisingly, no Flash support.
I must have been sleeping. I completely missed Google’s redesign of the Chrome Store. Considerably more engaging than the version prior.
Angry Google.
Via: tastefullyoffensive.
Switch to Chrome, Dummy.
A study of 100,000+ individuals found that users of the world’s most hated browser, IE 6, had IQ scores that barely squeaked past 80.
On the other hand, YouTube doesn’t support IE6, so these people aren’t rotting their brains with endless cat videos. Perhaps they’re the smart ones after all.
Watch out, Instapaper?
As a default, Lion’s reading list will be a nice addition for the average user (if there were such a thing). A few thoughts about why I don’t think Instapaper should be too concerned:
- My guess is that the type of people that use Instapaper don’t use Safari. I’d go as far as suggesting that when they’re on a desktop OS, they’re Chrome users (Chrome already syncs bookmarks across devices without paying for the $99 MobileMe service).For those Chrome users, installing the Instapaper bookmarklet takes around ten seconds; not exactly a barrier to entry.
- No, iOS doesn’t have Chrome, but almost all reading applications on iOS already have built-in support for Instapaper.
- For users who use OS X at home and have to use Window’s at work, Instapaper is truly cross platform (Android, iOS, and the web).
Update: Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper seems to agree
Google Chrome hits 160 Million users. That’s 160 Million users that don’t know they’re already using Chrome OS. That’s a lot more people than use a Mac.
Animation: one of the most important but least thought about elements of good user experience design.
It’s obvious to say that attention to detail turns a good iPad app into a great iPad app. Simple animations improve the user experience: pinching an photo album stack to see all the photos contained therein; the satisfaction gained from pulling down on the Twitter feed to load new tweets; the way a FlipBoard article resolves to it’s full-page state.
The art direction involved in creating these subtle animations becomes an important part of the aesthetic and overall experience of the app. Do you notice that every FlipBoard article template is the same, or do you spend time noticing how fun it is to move from article to article?
One of the common complaints about digital magazines on the iPad is that the pages are flat; essentially print replicas with additional content types in the form of video and extra photos. The always-smart Sara Öhrvall at Bonnier alluded to the importance of a new kind of art direction with their Mag+ platform. Flow was the new flip.
These details are slowly pushing us towards a new modal for content consumption that will really take advantage of the power of modern mobile devices like the iPhone and the iPad, whether it be a native app, or something built in HTML5.
If you haven’t already seen it, W+K have made a great little HTML promo site for Nike (Doesn’t work on the iPad). Let’s ignore the graphic design for a second; it’s secondary to my point. Scroll up and down. Do you notice the fluidity between the pages? If you’re viewing it on an iPad, the site will be rendered as flat static pages. If you have access to an iPad as well as a desktop, compare the two. Doesn’t the interplay of the panels and layers of content make very simple content more engaging?
The next time you’re putting together a proposal for an app, make sure you allow the extra development time. It’s worth it.
