OSX Lion Interface Enhancements will Impact Web User Experience

Posted By David Millsaps on Feb 27

With the developer preview of OSX Lion released- the retail copy is only so far behind.  There are so many desktop interface advancements in Lion that it is going to require designers across the technology industry to rethink desktop interaction.  Apple is using design research developed on their mobile platforms to enhance desktop interaction by bringing the touchpad's utility far beyond a traditional mouse.  This video is a quick visual overview of the features, full screen interaction using gestures to switch applications, pinch to zoom. Apple's history with establishing user experience standards for the industry certainly gives them the benefit of the doubt that these new changes will become standard across digital interfaces.

For the web that touch metaphor for interaction has implications on how traditional interfaces may be designed. The idea of "hover," where leaving a mouse cursor on an object causes its expansion, is not very effective for touch interaction.  Drop, down menus, flash interfaces- they become driven by single clicks instead.  Such easily used zoom function on webpages means a whole set of new considerations in the design phase- the experience of a document across those zoom levels. 

The changes in OSX go further, and gesture is right at the center of their focus.  Beyond the web the software interfaces have many more tweaks. The removal of full sized scroll bars is also a personal favorite. Check out the video to see some of these enhancements.

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Comments

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