I realized that there has been quite a resurgence of “command line” like (command-like?) interfaces. The collage below is by no means complete, but it does show a few products that use text UIs as a primary or auxiliary means of interaction.
Looking at the image from top-left to bottom-right:
flk ponies and you’ll receive Flickr results that match “ponies”.What is interesting is the decision to use this as a high-level interaction mode. One of the arguments against text-based interaction is that it obscures the interface and imposes a steeper learning curve on the user. On the other hand, command line enthusiasts note greater efficiency and flow.
Given that these examples cater toward an early adopter / power-user market, I’m inclined to feel that this UI is reasonable. It will be interesting to see whether any of these products–especially those that use text as the primary interface–make inroads with the more pragmatic users.
On February 4, 2007, Todd posted this entry in User Experience, Information Architecture, Usability, Interaction.
I’ve just started a Meetup for people interested in user experience design in Phoenix. Having just arrived here a little over 3 weeks ago, I’m surprised that there wasn’t a community for local Phoenicians to get together and discuss this discipline. That said, a bit of trolling of LinkedIn, Meetup, IxDA, and Google revealed that there is a nascent group of like-minded individuals.
So, this is a call to arms. If you’re interested in things like:
…then I entreat you to check out the group. In the future, I’d like to bring this group toward a full chapter status of the Usability Professionals Association. That’s still a ways down the road, I suspect. For now, I’m super excited about drawing together people from around the valley to discuss everything from “rules and tools” to war stories. Bring it!
Oomblog is a stream of thoughts, ostensibly focused on user experience.
