As a user-interface designer in the 80’s for companies like Apple Computer, and as old ‘groupware’ professional in the early 90’s, I’ve been quite disappointed with how design of collaborative apps appears to have practically ceased since the introduction of the web.
It is not that there haven’t been lots of new features added in the last 10 years, it is that they are often too complex, or are pure eye-candy and not particular useful. I’m a believer in elegance and I’ve not seen much of it lately.
However, I saw in in Slashdot today that IBM has some web pages demonstrating a prototype email client which I find quite elegant at first glance.
I hope some people like the Evolution team, or the Mozilla Thunderbird team, or some new entrepreneur make available.
Life With Alacrity
© Christopher Allen