Crafting truly inspired user interface designs is tricky. Any schmoe can slap a listbox and a pair of buttons on a screen and meet a user need (although sometimes a few buttons and a listbox is the optimal design). However, as modern software development tools comparable to WPF unshackle developers to allow them to efficiently realize any design they are able to dream up, we now have a responsibility to more vigorously challenge our design proposals. While I DON’T advocate complexity or innovation for his or her own sake, there are cases where challenging conventional design metaphors can result in a lot more elegant and pleasing solutions for users. If we’re to create user interactions that transcend from the normal into the sublime, we have to invest significantly more energy and creativity. Modern tools allow us to ask, “Maybe this listbox have to be a solar system”, but these questions don’t ask themselves.
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