4 ms·
The difference is Whatsapp isn't intended to be used outside of mobile, where it's atypical for the majority of users to have both an iOS and Android device. Wi
by GnarlyWhale 10y ago
The difference is Whatsapp isn't intended to be used outside of mobile, where it's atypical for the majority of users to have both an iOS and Android device. With the Google suite of applications however (most prominently Drive), the same user is expected to access the service across a variety of devices. A consistent design means they don't have to re-learn how to use it.
- jtr1 10y agoTotally fair point. In both cases, I think design follows the Rule of Least Surprise to create a consistent experience for users. It's about business aims, too. WhatsApp went after native messaging, so it made sense for them to make the transition as seamless as possible. Google Drive applications are operating on a completely different scale. At the same time... Google Drive applications looked very familiar to people coming from the MS Office world. If you're trying to replace a competitor, mimicry isn't a bad place to start.
- judahmeek 10y agoIf you're using a mobile version of a desktop/tablet application, you're going to have to relearn it anyway because of the differences in size. I don't know many users who operate multiple mobile devices of the same size but different OS simultaneously (say, iphone and samsung galaxy), so I don't see why such devices should share UI designs.