multiplatform

Better to be boring: one consistent design across all OSes

We previously wrote how Skype did a smart thing by creating one consistent design for its version 5 across iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.  It’s smart because it will save time and raise the probability of a high performing, consistent experience.

App developers should test and iterate their apps’ design until satisfied of greatness.  If you have a different design for each OS, that’s multiple times the amount of work needed to test and iterate.  Totally unnecessary.  A great design is universally intuitive; an iPhone user will be able to use a well-designed Android app and vice versa.  And if they can’t — requiring the back button to navigate the Android version for example — guess what, that’s not a great design.

There are many examples of good cross-platform design and the most obvious one is Instagram.  The Android version is nearly identical to the iPhone version.  When the design works, why risk changing things just for the sake of the OS?  Of course, you should still take into account each OS’ quirks.  For example, with feecha the sharing function is native to Android, whereas we had to custom build it for iPhone.  But if we were to port feecha to Windows Phone, it will look exactly like our design for iPhone and Android.

Then there are apps that are designed differently for iPhone and Android, and often to bad results.  One such example is Yahoo Sports.

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Microsoft’s wearable device will be multi-platform, but that’s just table stakes

Thurrott is reporting at Winsupersite that Microsoft is readying it’s wearable device. It’s allegedly more fitness tracker like the Samsung Gear Fit than smartwatch, and the big news is that it’ll work with iOS, Android and of course Windows Phone.

This doesn’t leave me excited for Microsoft, however. The Redmond company wisely pulled its Surface mini product because the device didn’t do much beyond the competition; and of course, we don’t have the full picture yet, but based on Thurrott’s report it doesn’t look like Microsoft’s fitness tracker will be anything special either.

My sources tell me instead that Microsoft will this fall release a Samsung Gear Fit-like fitness band that will display smart phone-based notifications, just like the current and rumored watches and other wearables. So that’s the first bit of rumor busting: It’s a wristband, not a watch. . .The focus, however, is the same as with Samsung Gear and similar fitness bands: Using multiple sensors, it will track your fitness—steps, calories burned, heart rate, and the like—throughout the day and interoperate with apps on mobile phones.

So, it’ll be like the Samsung Gear Fit, which has yet to take the market by a storm after selling a paltry 250,000 units despite huge advertising. (By comparison, Microsoft’s much criticized Surface line sold about 750,000 units the last three months.)

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