[IxDA Discuss] Thoughts on skinning/customizing enterprise apps?

[Miguel Gonzalez]

Don't do it!

That trivial customization that you say is the one that you shouldn't provide. The final user is
not a graphics designer, if you give him the option to change colours, he will most likely do it
without a sense of the over all composition, he will choose blue for the background and white for
the text, will use the site a few times and then won't use it any more.

If you want to allow customization, do it over the content, if the site is about news, give him
the option to choose world news or local, or sport, etc. but leave the graphics design to
professionals.

Maglez.


--- "Wilson, Russell" <Russell.Wilson at netqos.com> wrote:

> [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted material.]
> 
> I am often presented with the idea of skinning or
> providing customizaton for the presentation of our 
> enterprise apps.  
> 
> Any thoughts on the real user benefits/value of this?
> 
> I ask because I am against doing things "just because we can",
> and there are many issues to consider - breaking branding and
> identity, support concerns, etc.
> 
> If the customization options are trivial (e.g allow users to change
> the color of window title bars) it would lessen the concerns, but
> then how beneficial is it really to users?  Is it just another
> "hey you can also do this" (when in reality they probably never
> will or don't really care).
> 
> Thanks,
> Russ
> 
> 
> Russell Wilson | Director of Product Design  
> NetQoS, Inc. | 5001 Plaza on the Lake, Austin, TX 78746
> 512.334.3725 | russell.wilson at netqos.com 
> 
> NetQoS: Performance Experts
> www.netqos.com
> 
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