Windows Store Development–Retrospectives (Part IV)

Article
04/08/2013

What About Starting Fresh?

When code migration/portability from/to Windows Store apps and any other platform (i.e. web applications, Windows Phone, etc.) isn’t a concern, the decision remains mostly on the skills of the team. Developers should choose the platform they feel more comfortable with, keeping in mind that if the decision is for HTML5/JavaScript, .Net can still be used as a “back end” tier, either running on the client with the app itself or on web services.

The main difference from the technology point of view is that XAML Modern Style apps run in their own processes (create .EXE files) while the JavaScript apps run in a shared Windows process that handles these types of applications. Same API’s are available for both.

The “Consumerization of IT” from the application development perspective reflects yet another aspect to consider in the way applications are designed. Consider the evolution of say MSWord from text based, to graphical toolbar/mouse based, to context based help, all the way to touch and mobile experience. Similar comparisons could be applied to releases of other Microsoft Office applications, Internet Explorer or Windows Live Messenger. Looking from this perspective, there’s a clear trend: More natural user interfaces with obvious, task based functionality requiring less previous knowledge or training from the user point of view, where there is less distraction and interference by the application over the information consumed by the user.

All these aspects also offer opportunities for designers and developers wanting to start fresh!

Check the blog entry Designing for Windows Store User Experience to help your next Windows Store app maximize experience.

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