On the Aesthetics of Outliners, Pims, and Personal Knowledge Applications

Posted by Peter
Oct 21, 2009 at 09:50 PM

>>Peter made an offhand comment in another thread…

It’s amazing what a word can do sometimes huh?! Good stuff. Yes it was most certainly an off-hand comment but since it?s generated so much discussion I might as well chime in and clarify what I meant.

My point actually did not have anything to do with the analytical process or scientific endeavor per se, as implied by some of the Old Schooler’s comments (with respect). Of course we all have some sense of how tough it was before the days of computers but the research still got done. Perhaps a typewriter was the only ?hi-tech? tool available. However I would hazard a guess that if choice had anything to do with it the best designed typewriter won out in the end, at least until the PC took over. The same goes for computer software. There is so much to choose from these days. Provided functionality is a given - most software ?works? at a basic level - I only have enough curiosity and patients to test drive a new app if it meets the current interface standards (XP?) and doesn?t feel too ?clunky? from the start.

I must however admit here that I am no fan of Vista. In my view it?s an example of aesthetics gone sour. Too many bell and whistles. In other words, I see aesthetics as a subjective category and one that shifts with time creating new expectations and values along with it. Hence it’s not only about beauty, colors, and layout. Perhaps I should have used the term ?intuitive? instead. In any case I can get a pretty good impression of a new piece of software within the first five minutes provided I am familiar with the application area. I just don’t have the time or the patience to be bothered with something that feels like a win 95 or 98 app no matter how functional it is. Nine times out of ten I can find another one that has considered both the interface feel and the logic of functional operations. If I purchase a new car it?s more than getting from A to B, especially if I have to use it every day. The same goes for a piece of software, especially for something as everyday as PIM. In my view the best software is the one that weaves together interface and function in one neatly designed package, the total sum of which is an aesthetic experience.

I think I’m headed for a Mac next.;)