What excites me about this week

For many this week will come and go, but among Apple users and fans this week will have us glued to our screens waiting to see what Steve Jobs has up his sleeve. There are many speculations about what might be “announced” at this year’s WWDC. In the past Apple has used this week to release new hardware, updates to the iPod and OS upgrades. This year will be slightly different, there isn’t much in the pipeline as far as hardware (minus a much needed display update) and the current iPod is still fairly new especially if you lump in the iPhone into that category. That leaves us with Leopard… much has been talking about regarding the “secret features” of Leopard that Jobs will unveil tomorrow. While I’m sure the “secret features” will be nice thats not what I’m most excited about. I’m excited about what could potentially be the largest changes to the UI in the history of Apple, if not in its history then at least in its recent history (after the original release of OS X).

There have been some exciting explorations happening in the field of User Interface, specifically in the Mac app category. Delicious Monster led the pack with their exquisite UI in Delicious Library, many have followed with the trend including Disco, AppZapper, etc. The developers of these apps have begun to push the boundaries of what the “typical” mac app should look and function like. They have developed creative ways to do everyday tasks like burning discs and sorting your media collection. Apple (and now Microsoft as well) have joined the party to push the boundaries by using gestures in the case of the iPhone and Surface.

What does this mean for usability, should we just toss out our standards and human interface guidelines? Many would argue that’s the direction some of these applications and new forms of interaction are taking us. I think we are entering a new age of exploration in the area of UI design. Today’s technology has given us tools that just five years ago we would have dismissed as hollywood special effects. Users are interested more than ever in playful, exploratory interaction. If you don’t believe me compare the “traditional” game play of the Xbox 360 and PS3 against the wildly successful Nintendo Wii. As UI designers we have the unique opportunity to make our applications playful and engaging.

So, as Jobs steps to the stage and WWDC ushers in the “secrete features” for Leopard I’m hopeful for a new delicious interface for OS X. Something that will push the envelope further in UI development, something that is functional, user friendly, playful and explores new aspects of interaction… Is that too much to ask?