Journal Entry#5: Robert Hoekman, "Essential Elements of Great Web App Design"

I really enjoyed what Robert had to say about web apps. It was an eye opener, though I have to admit. I think he thought that he would walk into a lecture hall full of kids with IPhones, brand new 17” MacBook Pros, and wide-eyed wonder. I have to say that I didn’t really know what qualified as a web app before he started talking. I am one of those people that he was talking about. Where they “use standard operations” and never find it necessary to personalize their Google dashboard. Call me crazy, apathetic, or just plain busy, but I never really saw the point of it. The reason for this, I really must admit, is that just until recently, I was so damn scared of computers that I was dead sure that I would break something that would be unfixable. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and if the app is designed properly (fingers crossed) the ability to easily navigate and customize any web app should be rather intuitive and should, as he put it, “make a beginner intermediate, almost immediately.” I like that idea.
With his amazing laundry list of publications, teaching, and consulting work behind him, Robert was able to bring a lot of information our way. For starters, he rattled off the seven most essential things to remember when designing web apps for the general computer user. They were as follows:

1. Understand users, and then ignore them.
What he was saying here is that most users out there aren’t really sure what they want and are even more out of touch with what they actually need. He advised us all to take advice users give us with a grain of salt, and try to listen more intensely on what it is they’re ACTUALLY saying. What features are they complaining about? What would they want to see? But more importantly…why?


2. Build only what’s absolutely necessary.
He put it best when he said that every feature you add will get in the way of something else, and it’s ability to work properly. This sort of harps back to #1, and says that people will more times than not, want to add more tricks and features when they think that a web app isn’t performing up to speed. This will just complicate the matter and make it harder to zero in on what people are looking for in the app, how they are using it, and what they think of it. Less junk!

3. Support the user’s mental model.
Robert said that to build great web apps, we must design the way that the user’s mind works. There may be behaviors that they aren’t even aware of, but a great designer will notice these and cater to them.

4. Turn beginners into intermediates immediately.
Like I mentioned above, it is important to make web apps as intuitive as possible. You really have such a brief time to interact with your user and impress them and cater to their egos and mental model before they shut off, and are unwilling to use your app; as great as it may be.

5. Handle errors.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. It is important to put out any fires as soon as possible so that people will not lose faith on your app, and will feel like they are being heard if they report something broken or missing, or difficult to navigate.

6. Design for uniformity, consistency, and meaning.
Once you have a firm grasp of WHO you are designing for, and their mental model, it is important to keep catering to that in all elements of the design. Don’t stray and add things to be showy or unnecessary. Just add what’s needed and what will be appreciated. And for God’s sake, make it all tie in together.

7. Reduce and refine.
Keep it simple and functional. Keep what works and trash what doesn’t, and quickly!

All in all, I found that Robert had a lot to say and an amazing wealth of experience to back it up. I don’t believe I will be designing any web apps in my future, but I appreciated the information.