OUTSOURCING PLATFORM PORTING, GUI LIBRARIERS (+ APPENDIX A) Increased costs of the development caused by platform fragmentation, created an industry of the GUI libraries. This software components are intended to be the universal implemented in content and applications.( Appendix A ) Examples of such UI libraries: Japanese Acrodea(product: vivid UI), Digital airwaves (product: Kaleido) and TricastMedia (product: TWUIK).
Such efforts introduce great User Experience, however it is once again diversified by new GUI standards. Great technology is assumed to automatically equate to a great customer experience. Many argue however, that focusing on what the user needs and finding practical solutions, regardless of how ‘advanced’ the underlying technology is perceived to be. As of today, some developers are confused about the GUI diversification problem, current state and the future of the platforms - period in which “companies confused the market by trying to sell platforms rather than solutions”. (Pawlowski, 2008) “…There are a couple of alternatives. One is a UI pattern library, very common to web design patterns. This allows for a certain level of consistency without being overly constraining. The other is internal coherency or "internal integrity." Too many of the interaction design problems of mobile UI is the idea of dumping a dozen or more discrete individual applets, thinly lashing everything together, and pretending this is a unified whole simply because a graphic artist gave it a makeover. That's not a UI, it's a bucket… “ (2008-02, public response on the http://groups.google.com/interaction-design, by john.soellner@gmail.com) Similar trends might occur during GUI transition towards touchscreen interfaces. Already such diversification visible, since touchscreen phones were introduced in 2006 by LG, FOMA and Samsung producers and dominated by the 2007q. This already sparked UI competition in that area, i.e. development of several touchscreen GUIs Apple Touch, Samsung Touchiwiz, Sony-Ericsson Touch G-series UIQ etc.
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Figure 3 VisionMobile - application environments chart