Author: Switchbox

Our client, Buckeye Institute, was highlighted for the functionality Switchbox built for the client’s website.

You have to check out this jQuery plugin. http://www.zurb.com/playground/jquery-raptorize

1. HTML5 and CSS 3 will get a lot of press, some decent implementations but still will be inadequate for the most of advanced scenarios possible today with Flash or Silverlight. And that is expected since HTML5 does not aim to compete with classic RIA technologies but rather to complement them or to allow some of the rich functionalities without plugins. Anyhow, to keep up with the HTML5 developments will be one of the major tech needs for web devs and designers.

2. HTML5 / CSS 3 “fully” compliant browsers and development / design tools will be more common and widespread. With Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4 supporting hardware acceleration for HTML5 graphics and rendering and with virtually all major browsers scheduled for 2011 supporting HTML5 and CSS 3 this seems like a good support for those technologies. However, we still miss decent authoring / design / coding tools and 2011 will be the year where we will see more and more of those on the market.

3. Mobile web and hybrid mobile apps will see the rise. I expect to see mobile web pages to become more or less ubiquitous in 2011 and more and more developers will go for hybrid mobile / web apps for numerous reasons – easy of distribution and upgrades being just some of those. This will, of course, open space for bunch of frameworks to help out and speed up the process for devs and designers. Expect to see bunch of Marketplaces for HTML5, mobile and related apps.

4. Mobile sector will continue to grow, but tablet market will prove as a next big thing regarding the platforms. With iPad on the market, rumors for iPad 2 and some limited Android tablets on the market right now, this form factor is set to succeed in 2011. At least three major players will be here – Apple with the iPad products, Google (through Android OS) and, ta-da, guess who comes late to the party though they’ve had advantage years ago – Microsoft. Anyhow, for consumers tablet factor will be top-hit and for designers and developers this will be next frontier. However, I expect to see some challenges when it comes to user experience on those devices since market is still immature, designers and developers still learning (exception here is, of course, iPad) – but I’m reserved when it comes to designs based on Android and Microsoft’s tablets. We will see…
Oh and yes – both Android and Microsoft guys will have to build new tablet-based versions of their operating systems. Just porting Windows or Android to the tablet devices simply won’t be enough. Learn from Apple, guys! iOS is NOT ported OS X!

5. Social web will be relevant, but data analysis and analytics and data science will be the next hot-spots. Maybe we will see a birth of some crowd-sourced social-like data analytics slicing and dicing sites and services. I’d be interested to see how that will work.

6. QR codes – it’s not really web design or web development trend, but QR codes will be in focus during 2011. You’ll find them anywhere – from magazines, airports, product packaging to business cards. Only question here is how will Microsoft Tag survive this QR offensive (and will it, at all?). Since augmented reality was not a hit as I’ve expected it to be in 2010, maybe QR technology will pave the way for the AR in the future.

7. Talking about RIA platforms and phone / tablet devices – There won’t be Flash or Silverlight on iPad, iPhone or anything Apple really. There will be some sort of Flash Lite for Android tablets, Windows / Microsoft tablets will have it both. There will be Flash Lite on Windows Phone 7 as well as support for Silverlight in browser on Windows Phone 7.

8. Cloud will enable us to build universal user experiences – though we will see some ideas around this in 2011, real boom can be expected sometime in 2012 with better offerings and wider availability of Cloud-based services, for example, Microsoft’s Azure platform. Having this in mind developers and designers will need to develop appreciation and understanding that many different form factors, platforms and resolutions will be out there and consuming same data located in cloud. UUX is something I personally see as one of the hottest topics in the year(s) to come.

9. Third party apps built on Facebook and Twitter (and others) APIs will be stagnant with several exceptions. This holds true especially for Twitter apps and services since the company is changing its API every once in a while and also introducing services that have been previously offered by third party developers – therefore cutting them off and cannibalizing their businesses. Solution? Look at the 10th prediction…

10. De-commoditization of design, UX and related services will start gaining more and more traction as a mean to differentiate yourself and your company (services, products) on the market. We are not going to sell our services or products; we will be offering user and service experiences. This is certainly a trend that is shaping up as we speak and will continue to do so through 2011 so it’s something worth keeping an eye on!

What are your predictions? Feel free to share them in comments.

With the upcoming launch of the iPhone on Verizon network, how will Steve Jobs absence been viewed if the launch is not a success.

• What happens if Verizon has issue?
• What happens if there is a problem with the iPhone?
• Will Verizon get the blame?
• How long will Steve Jobs be gone?
• Is this a publicity stunt?

Many investors are already jumping ship on the stock, which dropped $13 dollars a share today. Remeber when the first iPhone came on ATT’s network, think about how many little issues they had within those first few months. Since this is the iPhone’s first attempt on a CDMA network it will be interesting to see how many problems the first adopters of the Verizon iPhone have.

To Upgrade or Not?

Verizon has come out recently stating that they are getting rid of their new every two plan. They have also not released any information on how the upgrade pattern will work for Verizon iPhone’s. One of the best things about ATT as a company is that they have realized everyone wants the newest and greatest phone. If you give people the ability to buy a new phone and extend their contract two years to get the better price they will do it. That is why ATT, allows their customers to upgrade to the latest iPhone every June.

With Verizon launching an iPhone in the middle of cycle, not in June, how are they going to handle all the customers who bought the iPhone 4 in February but want to upgrade to the iPhone 5 when it comes in June. Are they going to tell them they have to pay full price? Are they going to allow the same upgrade plan that ATT does? A lot of Verizon customers are also waiting because whats the point of getting the new iPhone 4 if it is not on Verizon’s new LTE. It seems kind of weird that they wouldn’t wait and launch the best phone on the best new network.

It will be interesting to see how everything plays out over the next 6 months.

Written by Rob Carroll

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Well today is national signing day for young football playing Americans across the country. Local media, ESPN, and fans across the country are eagerly checking webpages and listening to thousands of different analyst trying to predict where the top recruits will end up for the start of next season. As a huge football fan I truly enjoy this time of year but at the same time hate it. It boggles my mind the decisions some of these kids make. Why kids are choosing USC over other popular schools when they know they under scrutiny by the NCAA or why kids are choosing rebuilding programs with new coaches like Michigan over consistent powerhouses like Ohio State.

It’s amazing how much attention these high school athletes are getting just for their selection on where they will spend the next 3 to 4 years. And all of this got me thinking, why don’t they have a national signing day for America’s brightest and most gifted students.

You could have rankings across the country, scouting out the top minds at the top universities, and students being flown around the country for company visits. Top recruiters from the best companies like Apple, Google, and IBM would be comparable to Alabama, Ohio State, and USC in college football. It could turn into its own event much like National Signing Day for football stars. You would have students picking between a hat with an Apple logo vs a hat with a Google logo. If football stars are getting that much attention why shouldn’t the top academics also get some attention?

When you spin the scenario around it seems a little ridiculous how much pressure we put on these young high school kids and how it can almost halt productivity at businesses around the country as employees continuously refresh their browsers just hoping that an ounce of new news appears on ESPN’s homepage. Why is that we have allowed the media to totally blow the simplest and smallest of events to full blown spectacles with live coverage around the clock, 24/7 blazing fast updates, as tomorrow’s next star chooses where they will attend college?

Written by Rob Carroll