Over the past few years many developers have focused on creating applications online instead of making downloadable executables. And why not? You get applications that can be used from virtually any computer, you can share information with many people in real-time, and you can communicate easily with others no matter where they are located.
My question to you would be, how often do you need these features and what are you willing to give up to get them?
Lets face it, many online applications are really cool. Google Analytics and Google Spreadsheets are two that come to mind. Zoho’s product line is also very impressive.
However, realistically, how often do you need to share documents in such a way that your current tools become inadaquate? More importantly, how often do you need the benefits offered by these online applications taking into consideration how you currently get by without them? Are they really all that necessary?
For some people they may be a necessity, but is this the case for the majority? Are the majority of people willing to give up the benefits of their word processor to switch to an online application? Are they willing to upload all their current documents to someone else’s server? Are they willing to lose the integration that downloadable applications can offer with their operating system and other apps (i.e. on Mac OS X you get one common spell checker and dictionary so adding a word to the dictionary in one application automatically makes other applications aware of it)?
Operating systems have been refined and updated for decades in order to provide a great user experience. How many people are willing to give this all up for the benefits listed above? In addition, how many people are going to pay for these benefits in order to use these online applications.
TryBeta is browser based because it requires users to collaborate with other users all over the world at any time. This doesn’t mean that every feature should be offered purely as a browser-based option.
My point in this article is not to downplay the significance or the hard work of developers creating online applications. My point is to ask yourself, in all honesty, do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? How many people can really benefit from an application that is provided online versus as a downloadable application?
I am using online applications to help prove a point that can be considered for any kind of design or feature you are planning to add to any kind of application.
How often will the feature be used and by how many people?
Write down the feature you would like to add. Does it contribute to the core problem that the application is set out to solve? If not, does it solve a new problem? How many people are looking for a solution to this new problem?