Anthony Franco, president of EffectiveUI, outlines 10 pitfalls to avoid when developing rich internet applications (RIAs).

1. Top 10 Pitfalls to Avoid in
Creating RIAs
Anthony Franco
President & Founder, EffectiveUI
twitter.com/anthonyfranco | anthonyfranco.wordpress.com

2. R ich
I nternet
A pplication

3. R ich ( engaging )
I nternet ( connected )
A pplication ( software )

4. ( engaging )
( connected )
( software )

5. should always be:
software
Rich
Internet
Applications

6. pitfall #1
using the term “ RIA“

7. cure:
care about
creating engaging,
connected software

8. symptom:
“we want to build an
android application”

9. question:
do all users care about
“multi channel”?

10. pitfall #2
Putting channel
before user needs

11. cure:
ask “why”
(uncover user & business needs)

12. symptom:
“the development is
complete, all we need
to do now is add a skin”

13. question:
when should you think
about skinning an
application?

14. pitfall #3
skinning

15. cure:
ux first

16. symptom:
everything seems to be
going great, until...

17. question
why do big problems
show up late in a project?

18. pitfall #4
avoiding
conflict

19. cure
embrace conflict
and imperfection

20. symptom:
confused or
disenfranchised
development team

21. question
how do you keep the team
engaged and passionate
about a project?

22. pitfall #5
developers are not
involved in design

23. cure
get development
passionate about the
end user

24. symptom:
the project is changed
often by stake holders

25. symptom #2:
the project has
conflicting objectives

26. question
have you been on a project
where there was a lack of
clarity and purpose?

27. pitfall #6
not defining success
not setting priorities

28. cure:
before you begin,
ensure consensus on
the “win” and set
priorites

29. symptom:
never enough time
for good development,
user testing or quality
assurance

30. question
do great plans promise
great products?

31. you can not treat software
development like a
construction project

32. The Broken Analogy
“A bridge is the sum of its
parts. The pieces of metal
and welds and everything
else all add up to a single,
static bridge. A software
system is the behavior
created by the dynamic
interaction of its parts”
EffectiveUI
The art of building great experiences in software

33. Things you would never
have to deal with while
constructing a bridge:

34. Can we move the bridge 17
feet to the left?
It’s only 17 feet, so that’s
not a big deal, right?

35. We aren’t very happy with
how the bridge looks so far.
Can you propose a change
in the kind of materials
you’re using to make it
more attractive?

36. Remember when you asked us
whether the bridge would ever
need to support vehicle traffic
and not just pedestrian traffic,
and we weren’t sure, so we just
settled on the cheaper
pedestrian version? Well, we
were wrong. What can you do to
make this work for our needs?

37. We’ve hired an offshore
company to start building from
the other side of the valley so we
can cut the construction time in
half. They’re making some
improvements on your design,
so please coordinate with them
to make sure everything comes
together ahead of schedule.

38. pitfall #7
Waterfall

39. cure:
plan for
unpredictability
and then interate

40. symptom:
the software meets the
requirements but is not
adopted by users

41. do users care
about features?

42. pitfall #8
Putting requirements
ahead of outcomes

43. cure
understand
user goals

44. symptom:
“I know best about
what our users need”

45. how does your organization
derive features?

46. pitfall #9
Ego

47. cure:
the voice of the user
(rigorous empathy)

48. symptom:
platform paralysis

49. question
HTML 5?
Flash?
Silverlight?
HTML 4?
Native To Device?

50. pitfall #10
Choosing the
wrong platform

51. cure:
it depends

52. 1. Using the term RIA
2. Putting channel before product
3. Skinning
4. Avoiding conflict
5. Developers aren’t involved in design
6. Not defining success
7. Waterfall
8. Requirements ahead of outcomes
9. Ego
10. Choosing the wrong platform

53. thank you
Anthony Franco
President & Founder, EffectiveUI
twitter.com/anthonyfranco | anthonyfranco.wordpress.com