Why the “online office” won’t work for now
Bringing the desktop experience to the web is a tricky problem, claims the WeBreakStuff blog.
“People aren’t used to the web browser as capable of doing dragging and dropping, file management, rich editing text (at a level they would expect from an office solution), or correct printing. In fact, people are used to the simplicity of the point and click, and expect that behavior, and little more, inside the browser.”
“Changing this mentality is the complex part of the equation. In very recent years, the web has seen such fast evolution that the technology to bring an online office solution to reality actually exists. Improving the experience, however, should be the main focus.”
“The role of the designer as a ‘manufacturer’ of experiences and user advocate is now (more than ever) of uttermost importance. It is up to the designer to figure out new metaphors for online interactions. Taking the ‘online office’ problem as an example, designers need to come up with systems that allow for real-time preview of documents. Or file management. Or saving, sharing, printing.”
