When we open sourced Joyent Connector last year, one thing we hoped to see was the beginning of some usability standards for web applications. Application design is not page design.
So, with that said, when I saw the design of Apple’s new MobileMe service, I smiled:
And here is Joyent’s Connector:
Nice. This is not a rip-off. It is rationality. Pure text-based interfaces must be “read” every time:
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“Pure text-based interfaces must be “read” every time”
you should think about this theory a bit longer.
At least a word can be read quickly, and when you read it you know exactly what it means. Unless an icon is designed perfectly, it can become the dreaded “mystery meat” and just irritate users.
Not only is this post absurd (taking credit for the idea icons), it is also wrong. Studies have shown that recognizing text is considerably faster than icons.
See Jef Raskin’s book, “The Human Interface”.