Smart User Interfaces

From ESEwiki

Smart User Interfaces does not yet reach its full potential.

The two main ideas behind SUI are:

• Separate the business code from the interface code, i.e. make it easy to switch from one interface to another (even in the same application). There are three kinds of user interfaces:
  • graphical interfaces -- for the "heavy" kind of applications
  • web interfaces -- for applications embedded in your favorite browser
  • text interfaces (those come in two flavors) -- those are still useful: speech synthesizer, Braille... and for geeks -- hem, serious guys ;-)

• Give designers (not developers!) powerful tools (wherever possible, standard tools) to write striking interfaces, whatever kind of interface. A designer should not have to look at code or even to write XML.
  • Web interfaces should not need any specific tool but any standard web designing tool should do (e.g. Amaya, Nvu...)
  • Text interfaces will surely need specific tools (or not?) but they should be provided by ESE.
  • Graphical interfaces will be developed, some day, using powerful tools such as SVG, to let designers use standard tools too. The approach is very similar to the Web interfaces.

Note: This is very near from the idea of Naked Objects... Let's say our business objects have a very light white linen dress, upon which designers can unleash their artist talents :-)

The first goal is almost met and the second is currently being designed.