core.net

Things are always changing in the software world; and with every new release or version of every software application in the market, the one thing that always changes or improves is the UI. I always emphasize the need for the UI to always be consistent, attractive, and user friendly in my speaking sessions and blogs. After all, the UI is the application. UI design guidelines have existed before, but they would become less effective, if not completely redundant, when Windows Vista is released next year. Microsoft is attempting to come out with a clear set of guidelines for designing the UI which make the application easy to use, easy to learn, and enjoyable for users. UX (User Experience) as it would be called in Windows Vista, has been codenamed "Aero". The Aero theme file would allows Vista developers to easily bring the UX design into their apps.

While the detailed "UX Guidelines" can be downloaded from the Microsoft website, you need to go through the process of validating yourself as a genuine Windows user, Genuine Windows Advantage as they call it, to be able to download the 14.5 MB self-extracting executable file. The top rules that govern the UX design are:

1. Use the Aero Theme and System Font (Segoe UI)


2. Use common controls and common dialogs


3. Use the standard window frame, use glass judiciously


4. Use icons and graphics consistent with the Windows Vista style and quality


5. Use task dialogs for new or frequently used dialog boxes and error messages


6. Use Aero Wizards


7. Use Explorer-hosted, navigation-based user interfaces, provide a Back button


8. Use the standard Windows Search


9. Use the Windows Vista tone in all UI text


10. Clean up the user interface


11. Use notifications judiciously


12. Reserve development time for "fit and finish"!

A couple of weeks ago, I heard an instructor, at a Training I was attending, dismiss the need for an attractive GUI for entreprise applications; applications that need to work in a business environment, according to him, need to be sound in their working, and not their GUI. I couldn't disagree more. How would anyone, entreprise user or otherwise, react if she/he could see the Windows on the desktop like this?

While there has never been any formal announcement by Microsoft on referring to the new Speech capabilities in WinFX as SpeechFX, I have read it a couple of times on the blogs of the Microsoft Speech team members. Anyway, read this nice article about Exploring New Speech Recognition And Synthesis APIs In Windows Vista.

Microsoft has been researching "speech" for over a decade, long before the release of Speech Server in 2004. However, this time around, speech would be featured big time in Windows Vista, with a new System.Speech namespace in the WinFX SDK (not be confused with the System.Web.Speech namespace in the Speech Application SDK).

Last month, Microsoft announced that it had acquired certain intellectual property assets from Unveil Technologies Inc. However, now the story is that Microsoft has indeed acquired the whole company, and would also absorb some of its employees into Microsoft. Why? The Unveil Conversation Suite was a brilliant piece of software; a killer-app to be precise; and allowed non-speech developers to rapidly design and develop Enterprise Speech applications graphically. This was more then what Pronexus's VBSALT offered.

So, this adds another company to the growing list of speech companies being acquired and merged in the recent months; Scansoft and Nuance, Unveil and Microsoft, and yet another one, Intervoice and Edify.

By acquiring Unveil, Microsoft has killed two birds with one stone, so to speak. While the Conversation Manager would surely be a vital component in the next release of the Speech Server, Microsoft has also taken a great J2EE-based speech product for the IBM Speech platform, off the market. I call this brilliant strategy. Great thinking Bill!