johnny_knoe | # 1 | 2010-03-29, 11:04 | Report

Hello,
there is no doubt that there are many fabulous Maemo applications out there. But i think many of them have the problem that they are just not pretty enough when it comes to "mass compatibility". Not that someone gets me wrong- personally i have no problem when an application doesn't have much eye candy as long as it works and is functional. But on the other side when i have the choice between two similar applications, i take the better looking one,Why should i not?
Symbian has (had?) the same problem. One example: look at ProfiMail or SmartMovie. Awsome applications... but sooooo ugly! Look at all the other mobile plattforms. They have good apps and almost all apps also look good and are fun to use and this is what the people out there want. With the release of the first Meego device at the latest, Nokia wants to push this plattform into the mass market. And at that time the applications have to look good enough that the whole Meego plattform is attractive for the masses. A good example is the Qt MyBudget demo i tried recently. This is exactly what most people expect especially when they look at the iPhone or android for comparison.
I'm no programmer and i don't know how complicated it is to make an user interface like MyBudget. So i hope all programmers forgive me when i just say: make them prettier!

Johnny

noobmonkey | # 2 | 2010-03-29, 11:05 | Report

- well if you fancy helping make mine prettier be my guest

johnel | # 3 | 2010-03-29, 11:07 | Report

Why don't you create some mock-ups of how you would like the apps to look like?

Post the screenshots here and everyone can have a look and suggest improvements?

I write software for a living but I am terrible at GUI layouts, programmers are crap GUI designers!

noobmonkey | # 4 | 2010-03-29, 11:11 | Report

good idea
i never have been the greatest artist, but i can imitate what people want - up to a point and limitations

johnny_knoe | # 5 | 2010-03-29, 11:15 | Report

Sorry, i'm no programmer and no designer, just an average user with interests for computers, smartphones and other technical gadgets I like my N900 and i also like all those maemo app very much, even when they have not so much eye candy. And criticizing developers is the last that i want because i have the feeling that i just can't estimate the ammount of work when developing an app and ui.

dwould | # 6 | 2010-03-29, 11:17 | Report

my problem is unless youcan show me the code that makes those pretty ui.s then I won't be able to do it.

drawing a pretty picture is all very well, but if you really want to help. create a ui framework with all the event hooks ready to use.
i have no clue how to code a pretty ui, a picture doesn't help me.

noobmonkey | # 7 | 2010-03-29, 11:17 | Report

hehe i know what you mean...
Unfortunatley for some developers like me, i'm not really a developer or a designer, so i'm kinda working blind...
Instead of assisting in designing, could you link to apps that you do like, or similar.... If you see something that works, let us know

pycage | # 8 | 2010-03-29, 11:23 | Report

We love mockups!

noobmonkey | # 9 | 2010-03-29, 11:24 | Report

we do we do! - especially ones done in mspaint
(But really you could download qt designer, or even somethink like VB express.... makes drawing your own ui's eeeeeeeeeeasy - and as you dont have to code its a case of having a form and drawing on the buttons etc

johnel | # 10 | 2010-03-29, 12:08 | Report

One of the benefits of using something like QT Designer is that you really don't need to be programmer to draw the interface.

Someone with a good design skills, common sense and good taste can draw it and then say:

"Hey Mr Programmer I've done the hard bit. Now use your chicken bones and voodoo magic and make it work!"