WUX205 – Designing and Prototyping in WCF and Silverlight – A Case Study – Billy Hollis

See Online Demo on .Net ROCKS. Nice menu structure. Sliding of user controls off the page, etc. Neat feature with note capturing. Look like Post-It notes.

Highly Intuitive UI. Had he started the app now, he would have done it in SL3 instead of WPF. He said that you could do the same app in SL3, but it “takes more work”.

First Step: Is advanced UI work it?

• Data Templates are powerful
• Try to be “non-linear”
• “Don’t think of the screen as a set of rectangular areas to pour things into”

MSC UI Demonstrator

Traditional navigation not good enough. Gradient color is effective. Translucency preserves mental context. In-place editing has usability obstacles (use child screen with hover for edit).

Next Phase: Multiple Prototypes

Home screen resonates with users

Semi-modal child screens essential

Visual “dirty record” signal essential

Animation essential to natural feel

Don’t try to cram too much animation in

Use both sides of your own brain