Refresh Boston in April: The Chimera, Current Trends in Web-based UIs April 26, 2011

Refresh Boston's April event features speaker Chad Mazzola, a designer at thoughtbot, who will present:

The Chimera: Current Trends in Web-based UIs

There has never been a widely agreed upon UI standard for web-based applications. As a result, web designers have been free to pick and choose ideas from different places. With the growth of new platforms and new devices this trend has only increased, leading to situations where mobile sites that look like iPhone apps are being used on Android devices. So what should our web-based UIs look like? Do we try to create a unified language or just embrace the chaos? Is there a reasonable middle ground?

This talk will give a critical overview of the current state of UI design on the web. Chad will show how web-based UIs have incorporated elements from desktop applications, mobile applications, and real world interfaces and what this means for the users of these sites. We'll review efforts that have been made to build UI frameworks on the web, and whether this strategy is worth pursuing. By the time we're done, we should have a better understanding of how to build better, more rational UIs on the web.

We'll meet in our usual location, on the 11th floor of the Microsoft NERD Center in Cambridge, next to Kendall Square. Doors open at 6:30pm, presentation starts at 7. For more information, visit the Refresh Boston website.

About Chad

Chad is a web/UI designer at thoughtbot, a web consulting shop in Boston. He works with clients -- many of them early-stage startups -- to build successful, well-designed sites. He also teaches design at workshops run by thoughtbot.

Our Sponsor

Thanks to Boston Web Studio, we'll have more giveaways this month for attendees. They specialize in designing and developing attractive, modern, accessible websites that appeal to the visitors your business needs to reach.

We'd also like to thank PerkStreet for sponsoring this month, and providing us with a fantastic prize for one lucky attendee. PerkStreet is a fast-growing online banking startup, named one of 5 to watch by Mass High Tech. They offer financial products for responsible debit card users, starting with a 2% cash back checking account.

The folks at PerkStreet are giving one lucky attendee an online checking account pre-filled with some cash and they're throwing in a debit card with special cash-back earning rewards on top of that. Learn more about their online checking accounts here:

http://www.perkstreet.com/online_checking_account.aspx

Our friends at UIE are giving us two more free registrations to their next Virtual Seminar, User Interface Engineering's monthly series of online seminars with the latest perspectives in the world of design from the field's premier experts, to give away to attendees.

Once again, we need to thank Microsoft for providing us a wonderful space, bringing us pizza for attendees, and allowing us access to numerous beverages in the coolers on the 10th floor.

Support Refresh Boston

We always keep an eye out for companies and individuals who are interested in helping us out by donating things to raffle off or providing drinks/appetizers for attendees. If you'd like to sponsor an upcoming event, check out our Support page.

Refresh Boston is organized by Hanerino, a design studio north of Boston that specializes in attractive, accessible interfaces for web & mobile.

Official Website: http://refreshboston.org