building web apps: product lessons from dConstruct 2009

Went along to dConstruct. It’s aimed at designers (primarily designers with an interest in web apps.) Here’s what sparked my attention from a product perspective:

• Technology (latest manifestation: augmented reality) is providing exciting potential for products that turn latent information in to information of great interest/worth to consumers.
• As a consequence, using computing to annotate the physical world will pre-occupy web product people and designers for a while to come. It is the immediate future of innovation in the ‘web space.’
• The potential of the above has to be tempered with an acknowledgement that we need to preserve and maintain ideas of anonymity and serendipity. We need to consider that there is some information that is best left latent or discovered naturally and not read on a hand-held device.
• We must remember to utilise technology to find actual solutions to actual problems. We shouldn’t fall in to the trap of products being lead by technology.
• Illustrating data in an interface is becoming more and more sophisticated.
• Your interface makes the difference between a good product/service and a bad one. You need to make it good!
• It is now mandatory that we ask ourselves: What's my mobile strategy?
• We are not just designing for the web anymore; we are designing and building using common languages across multiple mediums.
• Function is vitally important with a web app so don't get so bogged down in form that you overlook function.

There were loads more, a recommended conference…(and affordable at £115.)

If you went (or if you didn't) does the above sound right? Be great to hear what you thought…