After writing some code with PhoneGap and Sencha Touch / jQueryMobile, I found myself wanting an easier solution especially to consume REST APIs.

<rant>In fact, consuming a REST API for Parse.com(A PaaS / hosted MongoDB instance) from an HTML5 application found me writing a custom Phonegap plugin / extension for Parse.com (which one of these days will probably find its way to Github).</rant>

Thus, on one of those "There's got to be a better way" whims, I was looking around for an easier way to make a basic business apps that can read / write (CRUD) data to a cloud server.

And late one night, I stumbled upon Tiggzi which is a hosted solution that allows you to create mobile apps inside a browser using jQueryMobile UI controls and easily integrates Rest APIs for mobile backends.

Using Tiggzi (and following this video), I was able to create an app that reads QR codes and writes that data to Parse.com (a mobile PaaS back-end, ) in just a few hours.

So, here are my thoughts...

Pros:

• Easy to work with, no IDE / configuration / Android / iOS SDK required for basic prototyping
• Very easy to integrate bar / QR code reader and to consume REST APIs,
• Testflight style remote app deployment and testing (probably the coolest feature of this service)
• Prompt support

Cons / Limitations:

• Needs better documentation / more content on best practices etc.
• Some UI controls are a little bit unintuitive
• Takes a little getting used to (esp. for folks used to of typical IDEs, like me)
• Will costs real money for making non-trivial apps

Here is the data on Parse.com (The bar / QR codes were read from products / QR generators using an Android phone and written to Parse.com).

And here is the same data inside the emulator.

Summary: Tiggzi is an interesting way to make basic read / write mobile apps, and for a simpler business app it certainly deserves consideration.

However, for apps that need a superior UX (higher visual and interaction fidelity) and a tighter device integration / better performance, Tiggzi may run into the limitations of jQueryMobile controls and constraints of Phonegap itself.

I have been playing around with some HTML5 / JS frameworks that allow creation of mobile web sites and can be integrated with platforms such as PhoneGap for creating mobile apps.

The two frameworks that I have tinkered around with are JQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch. Here is what I found...

JQueryMobile

Summary: Easier to learn framework with a strong focus on mobile web / apps. Has a larger corporate backing / partners, and is integrated with Adobe Dreamweaver CS 5.5.

Pros:

• Much easier to learn as compared to SenchaTouch

• Newer version has good basic themes and themeroller makes custom theming easy

• UI controls appear better focused on mobile devices e.g. 

 - By default labels are above the text input boxes which preserve real estate on mobile devices

 - iPhone style Flip switches work out of the box and allow text on both sides of it Ref: http://jquerymobile.com/demos/1.0a4.1/docs/forms/forms-switch.html

  - Placeholder text for dropdowns works as expected (broken in Sencha touch)

Cons:

• Less Object oriented / more web site programming like when it comes to wiring events etc. For non-trivial applications, it may almost require using another framework such as backbone or Knockout

• Rough at the edges, Transitions may flicker and sometimes are not smooth

• Some UI controls do not work very well (Fixed toolbars that are overlaid everytime on vertical scrolling make the UX very flaky)

Sencha Touch

Summary: A more robust OO style architecture with a strong focus on mobile web / apps.

Pros:

• True MVC style architecture

• Takes a SASS based object oriented approach to theming

• Much smoother / flicker free transitions than JQM

• Nicer iPhone style theme and icons (better than JQM's, IMO)

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve, changes from Sencha 1.x to 2 in coding styles etc. do not help

• UI is more oriented towards web design than mobile design e.g.

  - Form style UI layout with labels on the side of text boxes

  - iPhone style Flip switches (Toggle in Sencha world) require .css changes (https://github.com/tomalex0/SenchaTouch-Form-iosToggleField/commit/0b7de60782...

This is an excerpt from an article originally published here

1. Do what you love.

Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better."

2. Put a dent in the universe.

He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections.

Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things.

Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences.

Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand.

6. Master the message.

Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products.

Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

I recently encountered this image slider that changes the location of controls on every image switch. Now, maybe there are good reasons for making it this way, but it almost seems wrong to me. Then again, what do we know ;-)

You can see this in all its glory on the Best Buy's Magnolia section (assuming they still have it). That's professional Interaction / Interface design for ya!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Electronics/Magnolia-Home/pcmcat139900050002.c?id...

I recently changed my AppleID password. When I logged in, Apple wanted to store my birthdate and a secret question. That's great, but when I try to save it, I get this error about not entering the birth year....but, there is no place to enter birth year.

And we thought only blue screens of death were bad ;-)

In one of my recent class at ID, the professor asked

"What are the coolest product innovations in the last 10 years?"

In a few minutes, the class came up with this list....Google, Social Networks, Smartphones, Dyson Vacs, Single Cup Coffee, Oxo Good grips, Web Services and Tablets

"What are the coolest business model innovations in the last 10 years?"

In about half the time, the class came up with twice as many names....Amazon, Zipcars, Netflix, Dell, iTunes, Outsource, Crowdsource, Freemium, eBay, Redbox, Craigslist, Jetblue, Microlending, Cloud computing, Adsense and Peapod

Couple of observations...

1. Business model innovations seems to be where the action is (I know, its obvious)
2. A number of product innovations often are part of business model innovations (Google)
3. All the business model innovations listed appear to be enabled by the internet (Shaun's awesome observation)

• Commoditized product features - iPhone / Android / Blackberry - similar capabilities
• Limited product differentiation with technology, branding, design, pricing = Limited competitive advantage
• Blurred customer segments - 60 year olds buying Scions - Products alone offers uncertain marketing plan
• Product copycats - Means product innovation is not enough

On the contrary, the business model innovation offers...

• More levers to pull...pricing, delivery, entire user experience and of course product innovation
• Sustainable competitive advantage - Netflix or Redbox (actually better yet, ask Blockbuster or Hollywood Videos ;-) )
• Network and platform effect (Think iPod without iTunes)
• Services that were seemingly impossible in the past (Thanks DARPA for the internet)

Every day, we encounter some problem and think 'there has to be a better way', but often a lot of our thoughts gravitate to building a better mousetrap. To me at least, it was a profound realization that businesses strategies are not balanced adequately if they do not address a business model design.

Real world example...What if a Windows/Nokia phone handset (whenever it debuts) was not offered as a mobile device for purchase but rented instead .i.e. instead of buying a $150 - 200 handset (Android / iPhone), what if Microsoft/Nokia offered a comparable handset for an additional $10/month with free upgrade to a new device every 12 months.

So, who's got game - product designers or business strategists / back office / ops guys...Maybe a combination of both.

There is probably a profitable opportunity to re-do error messages for business software. This is a message that popped up on my colleague's Excel when she tried opening a file. I wondered what a DDE error is (but was too lazy to Google it).

Technology enables so many things, but graceful error handling appears to always take a back seat to new features.

As always, when there is a need, someone figures out a Solution. Look Ma, what Google found me for 'error message software'....(although, it looks like this one only translates numeric error codes)..Here is a link to it

"...all of those things are great, rational reasons to pursue what we pursued. But none of them matter if the product is harder to use"

"Focus on what really matters: making users happy with your product as quickly as you can, and helping them as much as you can after that. If you do those better than anyone else out there you'll win."

"Changing people's behavior is really hard."

"...focused on making the user do almost no work at all, by automatically editing and categorizing their data, reducing the number of fields in their signup form, and giving them immediate gratification as soon as they possibly could. We completely sucked at all of that."

"...design was exceptional, but if other, stronger forms of lock-in are in place first, design alone can't win a market, nor can it keep a market."

As someone trying to solve a problem or create a new experience, I have found myself making some of the same mistakes that this article talks about.

Is there a dichotomy in the thinking of the designer / developer and the point of view of a user that secretly creeps into our creations? Don't we all sometimes find it hard to maintain perspective on what matters to the user, and more commonly, maintain the sanctity and integrity of that context througout our design process?

A common example of this can be found in a large number of enterprise software applications, where ease of learning / access and ease of use often take a backseat to the rather engineering driven linear approach. It is almost as if some of these solutions were created for robots and not for humans.

While the emergence of design consciousness and its economic benefits do seem to be making inroads everywhere else from Mobile phones to the government, enterprise software as a category seems to be a laggard, with some notable exceptions such as the SAP design guild.

We certainly do live in interesting times. Here is the link to the article...

On a recent flight, the air hostess announced if Mr. Smith would ring his call button. When he did, they said that his hotel had called, they have found his Spiderman pajamas. Everyone laughed as the forty something Mr. Smith turned red. His colleagues who were sitting next to him high-fived each other and the hostesses who made that announcement. Eventually, the air hostess brought a crown made out of peanut pouches and coffee stirrers for Smith's boss who had requested for this joke. I had just witnessed the happy / proud employees of Southwest Airlines.

So the next time Smith & his boss flies, guess which airlines they would rather be on.

In a time where everything is getting commoditized and as internet eliminates the market inefficiencies (price comparisons engines, reviews etc.), what else can matter in a buying decision? Isn't it true that whether we look at products, services or experiences, often the logical comparisons are not significantly different, it is the emotional ones that weigh in - consciously or at a subliminal level. After all, we all do business with people or brands that we like (when given a choice).

Maybe that is why happy employees can make emotional connections and spread likability in ways that would otherwise be unimaginable at 30, 000 Feet.

Southwest & Spiderman PJs rock!!

So you get an email about some cool little gadget that will work with your phone,

and you click the link to land on this page....

- Specs | Support (Top right main links)

- View specs
- View product documentation
- Buy it Today
- View compatible BlackBerry smartphones

Key Message: "Our product does something cool, just buy it "

No video or an image of the product in action. The benefit is buried in the text (breaks the "don't make me think" rule). This video link is somewhere else and not connected to the main sales pitch page.

Let's check Apple's Keynote Presentation Software (I don't know if there is an iPhone presenter).

- Video on the left, product in action image on right, key benefit "Crowd pleaser"
- Five main benefits with images on the viewable area
- Additional info in the bottom scrollable area

Key Message: "You can do cool things with it and its easy to use"

In my opinion, both Apple & RIM have some cool technology stuff. What strikes me as interesting is how differently their messages are constructed.

In today's rather short attention span world, your prospects may get turned off by a disconnected user experience so quickly that they may end up spending more time blogging about it than reading your product manual ;-)