On July 5, 2010 at 12:17, Audible Solutions said...
[Link: crestron.com]Apple_iPad-XMac_Demo_2010
Models Included: CRESTRON-MOBILE-PRO-G, SW-XPANEL-FOR-MAC
The vtp file is embedded in the example program. To be clear, it's not a perfect design. It does require customization. But it gets the important points right. And Crestron's graphic artist gets it right more often than anyone else selling templates.
Checking it out, thanks.
Yellow Jacket blows away GUIFX's cockpit GUI. Adagio Nitrate and Destiny get more right then they do wrong. All require editing and customization, to get them to match one's design goals. That is to be expected.
I'm somehow getting a feeling that you're joking around with us here, there are so many things wrong with those designs that I can't even begin to name them 1 by 1, as that wouldn't fit in a single forum post.
|I've only seen one other person who worked for a company for whom I once programmed who also got GUI design right ( and I mean touch panel graphical design, not touch panel GUI design. I don't expect a graphic artist to understand GUI flow. ). Whose designs incorporated color, textured boarders, different button shapes and depth and were visually interesting without going over the top.
GUI = Graphical User Interface. Generally you have G and UI. You get thought UI design (not graphical!) when you study Software Engineering. You get the G from Graphic studies. A good GUI is [b]not[/b] about how cool it looks, a good GUI is so much more. The GUI is the largest part of the user's experience.
A GUI needs to be easy to use and visually appealing. Let me define "easy to use".
Easy to use basically means people [b]know[/b] where to go, without having ever used the UI. People know where certain elements are, because the expect them to be there, people know what buttons do because buttons describe the action that they do, people can do actions in the shortest amount of time with as little movement as possible.
So why are those Crestron designs bad examples? They're [b]all over[/b] the place, there is no knowing where to go, knowing where to find elements. Though arguably appealing it's not a good UI.
In all honesty the stock TPMC-10 GUI and GUI code were among the best examples I've ever seen. It's a lot of work to modify but it is a fabulous example of aesthetic touch panel design and GUI flow.
Aesthetically appealing, maybe (not to me), good UI, no. Then again these are rather old designs, so it's not right to judge them for current day standards.
I do not think his designs are better because he has inside information. It's not just his use of png graphics. Yellow Jacket, Nitrate, and Destiny use traditional jpg and bmp graphics. He does use curved images, textured borders, and subtle use of color differences. His work deserves imitation. Many have said that Destiny is being used by many dealers. It's not just because it's free. That's a factor. But it's significantly better than any of the designs template designers are offering.
The touchpanels we need to work with are generally low-res, low-bit and low-capability touchscreens.
My brother and sister are in the design business and they mimic the design goals that can be found in touch panel design.
I'm getting the, well my brother and sister are in the business they know how to do stuff, look at them vibe. I could be wrong, but you should really try reading a book (or two) on UI design and on Graphical design. Maybe follow a few courses.
In a past life I took a GUIFX design and spent considerable amount of time modifying it to work as a GUI. It's not that all of their designs suck. Their cockpit design ( which probably was NTDESIGNs work ) was less than satisfactory. If you look at the Crestron designs here you will see they are generally superior to the design template community.
Strangely enough I show these designs (and AMX's) to my clients and then show my designs, I have never had a single client pick something other than my designs. That is without saying a word and only showing what they can pick. (And of course custom design)
I can (with confidence) give a panel I designed to a client. Without explanation they're able to use, navigate and enjoy the system. Though I sometimes have to throw in a "don't worry the panel won't bite you". Which is generally with older folks that are unaware of the 'touch' part in touchpanel.
I hope the tone in my post wasn't too much, to be honest you're kinda freaking me out.
