Although late, I'm coming through as promised with a web version of the first ever "Atlanta iPhone & iTouch Developers Meetup Group" presentation. While no one would consider it groundbreaking (although "powerful" and "awe-inspiring" could be used), it is a starting point for developers like me who want to get started producing some faux native iPhone applications on the web.
You can try out the application here, download the source here (Note: this is not even the best version of this project, and was rushed to the finish line. The most useful code is in the "php/view.php" file.), and see the presentation here (leveraging the impressive Calameo service for presentation).
As discussed in the "Meetup", the most vital lesson learned during the 8 intense hours it took to create this application wasn't so much technical. Instead, the thing that struck me most was the shift in thinking required to produce a top-notch user experience on the iPhone. I'm not claiming to have done it here; rather, this project helped to shed some light (in some areas a blinding spotlight) on the fairly radical differences between designing a UI for the iPhone and the web.
My feeling is that perhaps the iPhone has the right interface for certain types of interaction, but not others. Hierarchical, sequential, menu-driven systems seem like a natural fit, for example. On the other hand, sorting large amounts of data using multiple filters may be a poor fit (like finding an airfare through Kayak.com). But perhaps my thinking is severely limited by a decade of primarily browser-centric development? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Monday, August 4, 2008
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