Mark Jardine on designing Convertbot -
Our goal was to make unit conversions fun and enjoyable. I wanted to separate the conversion steps into little tasks that need to be completed. It gives a sense of satisfaction when you’ve completed a unit selection sequence or shock if you press the wrong button. It’s like a game. Regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative, it brings out emotion in the user and that was my goal. Once you get used to it, there’s a sense of satisfaction and rhythm to the process. It’s very subliminal, but it’s there.
Part of what I love about Tapbots’ vision as a company is their conviction to make mundane tasks beautiful and — dare I say? — fun.
Some would argue that the interfaces of apps like Convertbot and Time Machine are unnecessary and take too many clicks to navigate. But really, at the end of the day I’m not counting the clicks. An app’s real value is whether or not it can add a little bit of pleasure — a little fun to the seemingly mundane tasks of my day.
And I think Tapbots nailed it.
(Via Sophia Teutschler)
