So this post is the first of what I call “discussions”. Basically it is where I throw out a topic and y’all pick it up and run with it. Simple and sweet.

So here we go. For the first topic the question is simply:

When designing an app, what makes you decide to go simple and clean over flashy/fancy, and vice versa?

Now flashy doesn’t necessarily mean “flash” or “wpf” (but it could). What I mean by flashy is the decision to use a stronger/more bold design and even the decision to use fancier technology (such as AJAX or flash).

By clean/simple, I mean sticking to more standard approaches, layouts, and technologies.

So there is the question…and here is my take.

Typically I look at two things when making the “big decision”…the client, and the audience. Yeah, that is pretty vague and obvious, but let me explain.

First…the client. The client doesn’t just mean “who” the person paying the checks are, its also “what” they represent. When I build an app for the government, you can pretty much guess they don’t need their login panel to animate or fade in (although it never hurts to try). However, when building a site for, say, a DJ company…its a pretty good bet that they would be happy with a little bit of pizzaz (even if the client themselves is a bit stodgy).

Two…the audience. Another way of saying that is “who am I trying to impress”. Again, the consumers of a government app is probably a clerk or a representative so they are not going to be impressed with anything you do, so the basics are good enough.
On the flip side, if I am building a demo site or application, the audience needs to be a little “wowed” in order to get the gig, so anytime I can sneak in a little something extra, I find its always worth it.

So there is my stand on the discussion.

• What do you think? Am I off the mark? Do you come at it from a completely different angle?
• What are the biggest factors when you decide which way to go?
• Who are the people that play a part in that decision?