I believe we are seeing the creeping and not-distant demise of windows. I’m not talking about Microsoft Windows specifically (although I’d be fairly happy to see the creeping death of that particular product) but in general I’m referring to the windows GUI. Anyone with a little knowledge of UI design history will be aware that the window metaphor was developed at Xerox PARC and was brought to the mainstream in Apple’s early products. It was revolutionary back then but today there are better, more user-friendly ideas arising at the forefront of software design.
I’m seeing more and more software using full-screen configurable spaces instead of small, layered windows, and this is where we can expect the future to lie. Examples are the tabbed interfaces like Firefox and the new Thunderbird. There are also iTunes and the iLife consumer suite produced by Apple, where each program takes on the full screen and lays out it’s features in a simple, configurable format.
The most innovative interface designs I have seen – period – come from 3D software. I’ve been working on some 3D modelling the last couple of years and I’ve been blown away by the sophistication and configurability of the software UIs. For example, Bodypaint - the UI is an incredibly configurable and malleable workspace that takes up the screen but let’s you lay it out how you wish. This isn’t the scatter of floating palettes and views that is the norm with 2D image editing software. Instead, the palettes and views may be added, moved, grouped and collapsed at the user’s will, and the screen layout shifts to accommodate.
I also believe that the full-screen UIs of mobile devices and interactive TV will have a major influence on software design in the next few years. Digital designers take inspiration from the devices they personally use and the more they are exposed to the latest mobile and TV interfaces, the more we’ll see it rub off on other UI designs, especially considering the new ideas that are coming out in those areas as they go through rapid innovation.
Filed under: 3D, general, revolutions, style, trends, user interface, user-centred , 3D, apple, bodypaint, design, firefox, GUI, ilife, interactive TV, thunderbird, windows
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