Animation
Inspired from the Smashing Magazine article.
Apple is definitely a trendsetter in setting graphical user interface patterns. Given that they popularized graphical user interfaces this can be hardly surprising. Right from the start Apple has been pro-active in setting user interfce design guidelines for UI designers. Nevertheless the tables seem to be turning somewhat as userinterfacedesign innovations from third-party developers become adopted by other userinterface designers. Normally Apple would introduce a brand new userinterface design paradigm, such as "Aqua" when they released the first iteration of Mac OS X. Thankfully for UI designers Apple would eat their very own pet food with many their new userinterfacedesign standards first thus setting the tone. This can be one of the major reasons why many Mac apps had (yet still do) a regular look and feel. A fantastic example of this is Apple's own iLife suite of apps generally speaking and iPhoto in particular.
User Interface Design
How did iPhoto set a userinterface design standard on the Mac?
iPhoto's user interfac design has been adopted by a few Mac applications having an image gallery, including LittleSnapper and Flickery. Both share a gray left sidebar useful for navigation detailed with similar color-coding for that various buttons. Sadly this color-coding was removed from the user intrface kind of iTunes in favor of a completely grayscale look. It remains to appear whether Apple promises to unveil this UI design for the other iLife apps. Other user interfcedesign similarities include a slider at the bottom right from the UI design to improve how big images inside the image gallery pane. An individual interface deign of Apple apps have always served as UI design suggestions, that have been subsequently adopted by others. Inside the particular case of iTunes' grayscale interface design I hope this doesn't happen because it lowers usability in which the navigation buttons are concerned.
Illustration
How have third-party user inteface designers started to set UI design patterns about the Mac?
Occasionally there has always been a 3rd party applications featuring a user inteface design that would go on to set UI design standards. Examples include Transmit and Quicksilver's relation to an individual intrface kind of FTP clients and launchers respectively. A far more recent example of a third party app setting user interfce design standards will be the Tweetie app. The Twitter client app would prove so popular that other non-Twitter apps would spend the money for sincerest kind of flattery by imitating its UI design. Twitter itself would carry on to purchase it and make it the official Twitter Mac and iOS client. Samples of non-Twitter clients that will adopt Tweetie's user interfce design will be the Sparrow e-mail client and also the Reeder RSS client. Reeder would also set some graphical user interface design standards of its own among RSS clients because, incidentally, the Tweetie-like UI design was added later as a mini-view.
What could be some of the explanations why third party graphical user interface designers and developers can set UI design standards?
Many of the third party apps which are setting UI design standards tend to either be Mac or iOS apps. Their influence is closely linked with the iPhone as well as the revolutionary App Store. With all the introduction of the Mac App Store it has an increasing trend in Mac apps that are pursuing the user interface design of the aforementioned Tweetie and Reeder. This is even more the case with apps that incorporate UI design settings with the new Mac OS X "Lion". There is, however, a very contentious issue regarding user interface standards set by 3rd party developers and that's intellectual property. Apple purposefully wants developers to look at their graphical user interface design standards but third party developers (fanboys rather) may not take too kindly to someone copying their UI designs. If however every single app had its unique graphical user interface design usability would suffer. Thankfully the creators of Tweetie and Reeder seem to be content on creating better interface designs though I'm afraid how the day might come when litigation is brought forward by a third party developer.
Apple is definitely a trendsetter in setting graphical user interface patterns. Given that they popularized graphical user interfaces this can be hardly surprising. Right from the start Apple has been pro-active in setting user interfce design guidelines for UI designers. Nevertheless the tables seem to be turning somewhat as userinterfacedesign innovations from third-party developers become adopted by other userinterface designers. Normally Apple would introduce a brand new userinterface design paradigm, such as "Aqua" when they released the first iteration of Mac OS X. Thankfully for UI designers Apple would eat their very own pet food with many their new userinterfacedesign standards first thus setting the tone. This can be one of the major reasons why many Mac apps had (yet still do) a regular look and feel. A fantastic example of this is Apple's own iLife suite of apps generally speaking and iPhoto in particular.
User Interface Design
How did iPhoto set a userinterface design standard on the Mac?
iPhoto's user interfac design has been adopted by a few Mac applications having an image gallery, including LittleSnapper and Flickery. Both share a gray left sidebar useful for navigation detailed with similar color-coding for that various buttons. Sadly this color-coding was removed from the user intrface kind of iTunes in favor of a completely grayscale look. It remains to appear whether Apple promises to unveil this UI design for the other iLife apps. Other user interfcedesign similarities include a slider at the bottom right from the UI design to improve how big images inside the image gallery pane. An individual interface deign of Apple apps have always served as UI design suggestions, that have been subsequently adopted by others. Inside the particular case of iTunes' grayscale interface design I hope this doesn't happen because it lowers usability in which the navigation buttons are concerned.
Illustration
How have third-party user inteface designers started to set UI design patterns about the Mac?
Occasionally there has always been a 3rd party applications featuring a user inteface design that would go on to set UI design standards. Examples include Transmit and Quicksilver's relation to an individual intrface kind of FTP clients and launchers respectively. A far more recent example of a third party app setting user interfce design standards will be the Tweetie app. The Twitter client app would prove so popular that other non-Twitter apps would spend the money for sincerest kind of flattery by imitating its UI design. Twitter itself would carry on to purchase it and make it the official Twitter Mac and iOS client. Samples of non-Twitter clients that will adopt Tweetie's user interfce design will be the Sparrow e-mail client and also the Reeder RSS client. Reeder would also set some graphical user interface design standards of its own among RSS clients because, incidentally, the Tweetie-like UI design was added later as a mini-view.
What could be some of the explanations why third party graphical user interface designers and developers can set UI design standards?
Many of the third party apps which are setting UI design standards tend to either be Mac or iOS apps. Their influence is closely linked with the iPhone as well as the revolutionary App Store. With all the introduction of the Mac App Store it has an increasing trend in Mac apps that are pursuing the user interface design of the aforementioned Tweetie and Reeder. This is even more the case with apps that incorporate UI design settings with the new Mac OS X "Lion". There is, however, a very contentious issue regarding user interface standards set by 3rd party developers and that's intellectual property. Apple purposefully wants developers to look at their graphical user interface design standards but third party developers (fanboys rather) may not take too kindly to someone copying their UI designs. If however every single app had its unique graphical user interface design usability would suffer. Thankfully the creators of Tweetie and Reeder seem to be content on creating better interface designs though I'm afraid how the day might come when litigation is brought forward by a third party developer.