Web Apps For the Rest of Us
- Posted May 21st, 2007
- Filed under: Technology, User Experience
When the Macintosh was first released, it was touted as “the computer for the rest of us.” To that point, many “personal” computers were still mishmashes of DIY kits, mutt hardware, and unusable user interfaces. The focus was not on the tasks one could complete with a personal computer. In these early days, the focus was on stretching of the boundaries to see what technologies would eventually be usable on a day-to-day basis.
Once the Mac came along, suddenly the big picture became clearer. The hardware and software worked seamlessly, meaning that technology took a back seat. The user was free to worry about completing the task at hand, not tinkering with the machine itself. The barely noticed the underlying technologies—unless, of course, that was of interest to the user.
I see some similarities between the early days of the personal computer and the early days of web application development. Web apps are still a fairly new frontier. We are just now shaking the notion that the web should be “just like print” or “just like TV”. I’m not saying that the majority of web apps out there are unusable hodgepodges. In fact, many are tremendously useful. What I specifically see as similar with the PC’s early days is the fact that there is still a heavy focus on the technology and not the task.
Today is my first day as part of the BatchBlue team. As a User Interface Designer, I was attracted to BatchBlue because they aren’t creating web applications simply to flex their technological muscle. They’re not all about using the latest whiz-bang Ajax effects to make the Web 2.0 kids go “oooh, ahhh.” They—err, we—are about creating software that simply helps small businesses get their jobs done.
If Carol, the owner of an up-and-coming flower shop, has dozens of orders to fill by Friday, the last thing on her mind is whether BatchBook’s Ajax is done with a pre-existing framework or is handmade. To her, Ajax cleans the counters at the end of the day. She doesn’t care if BatchBook plays nice with Microformats and why. She just wants a way to quickly get her vendors’ and customers’ information in one place quickly so she can get these orders filled and shipped.
In my eyes, BatchBlue is embarking on a refreshing journey. Instead of creating web apps with high profile bloggers, venture capitalists, and the Web 2.0 kids in mind, we are creating web apps with Carol in mind. We are creating web apps “for the rest of us.”
