WhatsApp is a great little paid-for app for iOS and Android, which allows you to send messages and pictures to friends numbers on tons of mobile networks and other platforms for free via your data plan. This a great little ad-free service which saves on your SMS allowance and expensive MMS charges, and has cited interest in being taken over by Google and Facebook.
The actual design of the app does its functions well. There’s no focus on exemplary design as what it does, it does well and with 10 billion messages sent per day as of August 2012, users clearly agree. That didn’t stop Dora Szabo though!
From Dora herself:
I tried to design a better looking version of the app by incorporating more of the visual identity of WhatsApp. I also tried to make the interface friendlier, more engaging and more logical, taking out some of the tabs in the tab bar and adding them on views that made more sense to me, an active WhatsApp user. I believe WhatsApp is used because of its simple interface but adding a little spice to it while still keeping its elements homogeneous throughout all the screens just might add more balance and rhythm to it.
Working my way through Behance and appreciating some of the fine work on show on there, I came across this little beauty which will surely interest a lot of people concerning redesigns.
Dribbble is a great site for designers and non-designers alike to get inspiration and sometimes just simply stare in awe at the quality of the work on show. Not without its faults design- and community-wise, Dribbble has influenced a lot of people in the way they show off work, and looks like it’s here to stay. This Dribbble redesign focuses much more on the actual shot on display and exhibits some great UX in terms of understanding the shot and using the most of the available space. From Felipe himself:
I got to work on some pages, and according to some studies of user experience that was the result.
Windows, and as such Microsoft, have undergone a massive change in their visual direction of late, with the much flaunted Metro breathing fresh air into mobile layouts and Windows 8 focusing much more on touch experiences. However, a lot of distaste still remains with MS platforms and apps, with the design largely unchanged in the main OS, and bad UX in other areas.
Phyek brings a new vision to the Windows platform, featuring a whole new layout and UX, with a heavy influence of Metro and Google in places. Gone is the Windows standard of bordered windows and taskbars, and instead comes in a clean taskbar with clear iconography, clearer environment and mich more simpler overall. Picked up by The Verge, it’s no surprise the attention this design got and with over 1500 likes on Dribbble, it’s clear that a lot of people would love Windows 9 to look a little something like this.
Steam has done wonders for the video game market on PC, and more recently OSX, but their UI of the website and app has always felt clunky and not making the best available use of the screen size and details. Consider that many of its users will have medium to high-end computers, for gaming specs, and it’s a wasted opportunity.
A re-design of the app, website and mobile by Josh Collie offers an insight into what could be achieved if Steam/Valve took heed of his designs, and made the Steam client and website modern, clean and best of all, gorgeous to look at. With the website using the a responsive framework, the website would fit all screen sizes from low to high-end, and with the original fonts being shipped out in favour of clearer, more legible ones, the website surely is a whole lot better than the current version.
Not content with the website design, Josh also went ahead and re-designed the actual Steam client and the newly released iOS client, all to fit the new design set out for the website. Coupled with the future venturing of Steam into the living room, this design fits all areas that Steam are targeting with aplomb and would definitely sate the design-savvy gamers and make an easier experience for everyone.
