Category Archives: UX/UI

The app world needs to be wild and free like the web

We reached an inflection point long ago. The vast majority of users prefer apps over mobile web as they continue to prefer mobile over desktop in increasing numbers.

The problem is that the folks who create what we consume don’t have the same ability to create and iterate with the same flexibility and ease when building and tweaking apps as we do building and tweaking web experiences.

There needs to be some quality control to make sure apps aren’t doing malicious things, like secretly take over your microphone or grab your contact list, but if we can check all those boxes, there ought to be a better process in place to get updates out to market much faster.

We’re going to spend more and more time away from the web and more and more on our phones and in apps, and if that’s the case we should be able to cultivate the same creativity, the same messiness, the interconnectivity and immediacy that the web provided.

The web is not dead and it will not die but we’re beyond the point of wondering if we live in an app-driven world. We’re there and we’ve been there for some time now.

The question now is how do we make that world as wonderful as the web is?

Why I love ESPN’s redesign

ESPN was like Han Solo, dipped in design carbonite for years, but today, easily one of the best designed websites around.

What I love:

  • Clean card based design, easily transfers to mobile.
  • Puts my teams first.
  • First thing on the nav directs me to what’s going on right now.
  • The NOW ticker gives rich, but quick hits and makes generous use of tweets and other immediate social media.

Some dislikes:

  • Article page sidebar is too wide, and should be collapsable (maybe upon scroll.
  • Nav and scores up top become a bit too much on article pages, should collapse upon scroll.