everynerd.net

Developing an application to administer content on a site or internal web application is relatively basic. You have a set of functional requirements sitting in front of you and the tasks to complete them are often  straightforward. In a web-based PHP or ASP.NET application, the possibilities in arrangement of controls and convenience for the user are fairly constrained.  They need to fit in a standards compliant way and in a good application, there needs to be as few page loads as possible. In a Rich Internet Application (RIA) using Flex, we can utilize Flash to build an interface in practically any way we want and allow as little or as much to be shown to the user at one time. Understanding the resources to accomplish this may be difficult, however.

A few things need to be considered when developing the user interface for the RIA.

First, finish developing the functional requirements for your application. Don’t start rearranging and skinning components that might lose their usefulness or be removed entirely by the end.

Second, you need to know your audience. The users of your program are the ones that are going to be using it the most and you will need to cater to whether they are skilled computer users, novice, or a mix of all types. This will help determine the complexity of your screens and the “lingo” you might use.

Third, research the “common method” for developing a user interface with the tools that you’re using. In the case of Flex, there are a series of subclasses on the Container class which are used to order and arrange child components in a meaningful manner on the screen. Classes like Accordian and TabNavigator can be crucial in organizing many different components into one area.

And lastly, and most importantly, take the time to actually use the application. I don’t know how many times my perception of a design (or lack thereof) has changed after actually sitting down and going through the motions on the application as if it were my daily routine.

It also really helps to sit down with an end user or a stranger to the design and go through a mini-training session. Within the first 20 minutes of this process you will immediately know what is going to be used the most, and what will be used the least. This can greatly help the manage the appearance of these controls by prioritizing access to them.