Ignite - A Letter to Apple
An Idea for Apple
PROBLEM
Launching an application on OS X is subtly problematic. Currently, there are two main ways of launching Applications:
1. Go to the dock and find the icon of the application you are looking for. Some of the issues in this method include:
- The user has to "pre-drag" the application icon in the dock - which many novices do not know how to do.
- Searching for the application icon among many other icons in the small allocated space can be time consuming
- Clicking the found application can be error prone as it is easy to click on the application next to the one you are looking for.
2. Launch the application from the Application folder. Some of the issues in this method include:
- Application may not be installed there
- No way of narrowing down the list of applications that you see - to much visual information at once.
- Time consuming
- Requires a change in the workspace since the user has to open a new finder window to browse for the application and hide the currently used application as a result.
SOLUTION
Ignite is a simple solution to launching applications that combines existing technologies built into Tiger. The beauty of it is that it:
- It's a quicker and more elegant way of launching applications
- It doesn't force the user to change the current way of launching applications, it just gives them a better alternative
- It is based on existing technologies built into OS X rather than a completely radical internal change
- The usability is similar to other core areas of OS X and therefore has a low learning curve.
Ignite is an overlay screen of application icons that work like dashboard. The user either presses a key or clicks the Ignite icon in the dock to launch it. An overlay screen, like that of dashboard shows up with a full screen of application icons with the associated application names. In addition, there is a search box, perhaps on the bottom of the screen, with the cursor set in the input box at launch of Ignite.
A full screen of icons is useful in that the icon size can be big and clear due to the large amount of space available. Still, there can be a lot of visual information to go through if the user has, say, 100 applications. This is where the search box comes in. Basically, the search box at the bottom of the screen is preselected and the user can just start typing in the application name. As the user does this, applications that do not have the letters that are typed in will start disappearing narrowing down the choices.
For example, if you have 100 applications, but just 10 that start with the letter A - typing one key - "A" - will automatically eliminate all the other 90 choices making the application you are looking for stand out. The user can than navigate to their application with either the arrow keys or the mouse. If the narrowing down has gotten to the point that only one application is left - hitting return will launch that application. The searching will be using a subset of spotlight technology while the overlay screen will use the same technology that is used in dashboard.
In short, Ignite is a great addition for improving the usability of launching applications in OS X. It extends the usability of OS X rather than depreciating the older way of doing things. People who are comfortable with traditional ways of launching applications are not alienated - and those looking for a better way have a new, powerful option. The overlay screen means that ignite will not permanently disrupt the current workflow the user is in. The full screen visual space without background clutter allows the user to spot the application icon much easier than a dock will ever provide. The useful spotlight like search ability will quickly narrow down the choices and help the user find their applications among many in a familiar way. I hope you consider using this in the next version of OS X - I certainly would be using it!
PROBLEM
Launching an application on OS X is subtly problematic. Currently, there are two main ways of launching Applications:
1. Go to the dock and find the icon of the application you are looking for. Some of the issues in this method include:
- The user has to "pre-drag" the application icon in the dock - which many novices do not know how to do.
- Searching for the application icon among many other icons in the small allocated space can be time consuming
- Clicking the found application can be error prone as it is easy to click on the application next to the one you are looking for.
2. Launch the application from the Application folder. Some of the issues in this method include:
- Application may not be installed there
- No way of narrowing down the list of applications that you see - to much visual information at once.
- Time consuming
- Requires a change in the workspace since the user has to open a new finder window to browse for the application and hide the currently used application as a result.
SOLUTION
Ignite is a simple solution to launching applications that combines existing technologies built into Tiger. The beauty of it is that it:
- It's a quicker and more elegant way of launching applications
- It doesn't force the user to change the current way of launching applications, it just gives them a better alternative
- It is based on existing technologies built into OS X rather than a completely radical internal change
- The usability is similar to other core areas of OS X and therefore has a low learning curve.
Ignite is an overlay screen of application icons that work like dashboard. The user either presses a key or clicks the Ignite icon in the dock to launch it. An overlay screen, like that of dashboard shows up with a full screen of application icons with the associated application names. In addition, there is a search box, perhaps on the bottom of the screen, with the cursor set in the input box at launch of Ignite.
A full screen of icons is useful in that the icon size can be big and clear due to the large amount of space available. Still, there can be a lot of visual information to go through if the user has, say, 100 applications. This is where the search box comes in. Basically, the search box at the bottom of the screen is preselected and the user can just start typing in the application name. As the user does this, applications that do not have the letters that are typed in will start disappearing narrowing down the choices.
For example, if you have 100 applications, but just 10 that start with the letter A - typing one key - "A" - will automatically eliminate all the other 90 choices making the application you are looking for stand out. The user can than navigate to their application with either the arrow keys or the mouse. If the narrowing down has gotten to the point that only one application is left - hitting return will launch that application. The searching will be using a subset of spotlight technology while the overlay screen will use the same technology that is used in dashboard.
In short, Ignite is a great addition for improving the usability of launching applications in OS X. It extends the usability of OS X rather than depreciating the older way of doing things. People who are comfortable with traditional ways of launching applications are not alienated - and those looking for a better way have a new, powerful option. The overlay screen means that ignite will not permanently disrupt the current workflow the user is in. The full screen visual space without background clutter allows the user to spot the application icon much easier than a dock will ever provide. The useful spotlight like search ability will quickly narrow down the choices and help the user find their applications among many in a familiar way. I hope you consider using this in the next version of OS X - I certainly would be using it!
