WIRED on the iPad

Summary:

•  Newspapers have to cram a vast amount of information into pages and the need for columns would are for a reader who wants an organized layout. The issue with transferring this idea of columns in an app is that the columns also affect other parts of the layout: font size, accessibility and interactivity, amongst other things. When text is forced into columns, often times, the text is more difficult to read and seems squeezed together rather than fluid. 

• The aesthetics of typography and combining appealing typeface has seemed to be an increasing topic but when it is views in terms of the app, some font choices that look appealing on print do not are note cohesive when viewed on the app. As a result of using multiple columns on the apps, the text of the interface is much smaller and the reader cannot even appreciate the use of different combinations of fonts. 

• The choice to include graphics in print seems like a necessary normality but when incorporated in a digital interface, they can lose their purpose. The more graphics, the more space is lost that could have been used for meaningful text. Ornamental pieces will get confused with  interactive buttons or navigational tools, leaving the reader convoluted and bothered. A minimalist approach within digitally would be the best way to increase user friendliness, the need for graphics is not as obvious. 

Comment: I really enjoyed reading this article. I don't personally own and iPad but I was able to make many of same connections between displays on my Mac and my iPhone. Overall this article brings up the topic we have been talking about in class recently: developers obsession with transferring print to online. I liked the piece about that explains why a company should not hire someone apt in print developments or journalism to create an app that is supposed to be used online. It makes so much sense. Apps are developed to be used online and often times when apps first come out they are not cross compatible across phone carriers. When these programs are created, the idea of "what makes something work in print" should not be an opinion to be considered I believe. These developments should start from scratch in the sense that we should ask ourselves "What will make this easier to access on a technological device?" "How is this really interactive?" "What does it mean to be interactive" and "what are the differences and affordances of this app being used on an iPad in comparison to its print counterpart?"

Question: The article discussed how developers use InDesign, a program used to create print graphics, to make designs for apps. Why isn't (or maybe there is) a program that makes templates for creating apps and other online programs only? I do not know too much about html or anything in the tech realm but it seems to make sense to use a foundation that has the best interests of a digital technology in mind, instead of trying to appropriate from a program that was made to create things read in print.