New post for O’Reilly InsideRIA. The UX Revolution continues as I talk about about the future of RIAs and the story that a great user experience can offer. There are many emerging trends in UX in the way we build and communicate these stories, but becoming just as important, is the form in which they are delivered. I asked 10 professionals creating RIAs today to talk about where they see trends in UX headed.

Enjoy: RIAs of Christmas Future: UX Trends in 2009

I am doing some writing for O’Reilly InsideRIA. It’s a nice portal for all things RIA. It is a bit light on UX-centric info so hopefully I can begin to fill some of that gap. My first post went up earlier this week and it is more of an intro into what you can expect in the future.

One of the main goals — beyond informing and educating — would be to help in the evolution of the new UX process and also to inspire people to go outside the comfort zone and kick out great experiences. I know from personal experience that this is an uphill battle, but we are in the early stages and I think our community will make it happen.

So I sound a bit like an idealist, but I really love what I do and believe that great UX will make future products and applications so much better. I hope you take a look at the posts and contribute your ideas.

Linkage: InsideRIA.com

Adobe has been a bit of a let down with this release though. They have been talking about their project “Thermo” for a while now and previewed its dream functionality to salivating designers everywhere, eager to get their hands on it. Of all the sessions and excitement around MAX, this was the one thing I was waiting and ready for. So at the reveal I learned that it is a very early release full of bugs and a ton of “future” options on some basic things like modify/transform a shape evenly. The truth is we may not see the full app until the end of next year.

So over to Microsoft. They have the Expression suite of products that is available without glitches, and with an actual functional interface. As a designer you can open Expression Blend (yes, it could also be a delicious coffee) and create a rich interactive experience with no code. Beyond the most obvious reason (Silverlight plugin needs time to grow and gain user acceptance) the Expression products have a huge uphill battle.

So why does Adobe still win? They –more than so many companies out there– understand their user. Beyond the issues I have with Flash Catalyst right now, from what I have seen, it is going to be a fantastic application. They continually interact and reach out to their community and gather insight from their users on how to improve their products. And in the next releases you see those requests put into it along with many other great improvements. They have opened up Flash Catalyst using the familiar Adobe interface that is common across their products. It is a much more comfortable feeling than say opening up the completely foreign Expression Blend. And here is the kicker for me, I can continue to use Fireworks or Photoshop to create those experiences and then bring that into Flash Catalyst to build in the interactivity. Even after the developer has started on their FLEX development portion I can make UI refinements, change colors, and even move elements around, not disturbing what is happening beyond the scenes.

So sure, call me lazy for not wanting to learn another application to design in, but I call it efficient. I can hit the ground running rather than have to take time in my already time deficient life to learn another application that ends in the exact same results (a design comp). Rather than just continue to use a product I’ve been using for over 11 years now. That my friends is understanding the user.

I have not counted out any other products (even from Microsoft), and I never will. But I do recognize Adobe for starting out on the right foot with the user first, rather than release something off the mark. I look forward to the full version of Flash Catalyst. And a note to the Adobe team, I plan on working in the pre-release and you could be hearing some feedback from me… in fact I have a list going already.

I’m very excited to announce that I will be joining Universal Mind. I will be on the UX team focusing on creating RIAs with the most engaging experiences out there. It is the type of work I am truly passionate about.

I’m really looking forward to working with the fantastic team they have assembled and I feel very privileged to be a part of such a great company.

They have just launched a new site, so check it out.

Music is my lifeblood. I always have something playing while I am working. It keeps me going. Keeps me inspired. I listen to all types of music, but normally trance is something I can keep going in the background to just drive me and allow a good mix of songs to run. I really enjoy Tiesto’s work and his In Search of Sunrise series of albums never ceases to amaze me. His latest one Volume 7 - Asia doesn’t disappoint in the least. I highly recommend taking a listen to it. Below is one of the two albums for you to experience.

I designed a site for a company out of the UK called Techlightenment. They specialize in creating Facebook and MySpace applications. In addition they work with their clients to seed the applications and spread them virally. I helped them in beginning to brand themselves and thought that using bee’s and the hive made complete sense being a social insect. Take a look at the final site.