Recent advances in rich user interface technologies such as DHTML, AJAX, and Flash have blurred the already fuzzy distinction between websites and web applications. In fact, many websites actually combine application-like experiences with website-like experiences with no ill-effects.
Of course, end users don’t know (or care) whether they are interacting with a site or an application, they just want to accomplish their goals–and they have high expectations of usability in all cases. But does the distinction still matter for interaction designers? Can this distinction help us to better leverage user expectations and behaviors towards a more usable and successful experience? Can the classification of an interface as an application or a website assist in the speed or effectiveness of the design process? Perhaps…
In this talk, Nick will review the different user and task characteristics of websites versus web applications and explore the design guidelines that these characteristics imply. He might also tell a joke.
