Three (UX) reasons why I’m already a fan of the iPad

(image from The Economist)

I haven’t had the opportunity to try out the iPad but already I’m a fan. Why? Three reasons. First, Apple have managed to scale up the iPhone UX to a bigger form factor. Two, they are proud of having produced an iPhone on steroids because this means there are millions of people who will know how to use it (read know is constraints but also the magic if offers). Three, it introduces a new workflow to office applications which I believe increases creativity and enhances the role of aesthetics in communications (wow).

The iPad UI looks like a hybrid of iPhone and OSX, but is actually 99% more iPhone like than OSX like. Apple is the only company so far that has managed to scale up a mobile device UI to a netbook sized screen. I have no doubt the iPad experience is as good as the iPhone one. As well as limited. I admire this ability to launch a new device category by leveraging existing UX assets. This brings me to my second point.

There are millions of people who have mastered multi-touch interaction through the iPhone. To them the iPad is just a bigger iPhone. More importantly, thanks to their iPhone know-how, they can see how the iPad can become an alternative to laptops for working on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The more intimate and immediate experience the iPad brings to word-processing, and the other office applications is why it is revolutionary. The device is ideal for interactive visual communication (like newsmap). We will see an increase in the use of multimedia in presentations. This is a big change in corporate communications.

The iPad also introduces a new workflow to working with documents, spreadsheets and presentations. I say this because I don’t believe people will want to use the touch keypad for inputting lots of text. Instead they will get the keyboard dock. This means they will sit at a desk when they need to type (”love and war” as Jobs put it). But because all other editing of digital artefacts is done by touch, they will undock the iPad and then head to the couch or the cafe for a tweaking and proof-reading session. Hence, the iPad introduces a two phase workflow to documents, spreadsheets and presentations: input (keyboard-centric) and beautify (touch-centric). Or the other way around: structure (touch-centric) and input (keyboard-centric). This two phase workflow (or is it three) makes room for thinking and that can only be good.

I haven’t said anything about sharing (as in a form of projecting). Imagine how easy it is to investigate content on the iPad together with someone. Maybe I’m onto my fourth reason here….