2 posts tagged “zoho”

While going through the various applications that ZOHO Suite has to offer, I noticed that each one looked different from the other. In my opinion both brand and UI (user interface) consistency are lacking.

However it would be ignorant and brash of me to assume that they have not considered this totally. I understand that there needs to be some level of difference to characterize the application itself. (you can't have a powerpoint application looking similar to an excel sheet application or a chat application!)

BRANDING:
The Zoho logo along with the branding of the specific application always appears on the top left of the screen.

USER INTERFACE:
Although I accept designing a variety of applications with UI can be hard, I do not think that it is impossible. The Zoho Suite has a global navigation bar (consisting of text links) on top of the screen that allows the user to move across the different applications. However this is the only place where there is UI consistency. Apart from this the buttons in each web app have different styles, the menus are in different places, some applications have tabs to navigate, some have free floating buttons, etc.. I am not proposing 'consistency for monotonous experience' but 'consistency for intuitive experience'.

Here is an example. (See enlarged version of image above)
If you look at the above image, you will see transparent yellow boxes over each header. Those yellow boxes mark the spaces on the header of the application UI where the button (Create/Upload/New/Add) to start a new activity specific to that particular application is placed.

The image below is a collection of those yellow boxes representing their location on the header of their respective applications.







As a user I might be used to seeing the 'New' action (which will allow me to create a new word document) on Zoho Writer  on the left-hand corner in a bevelled capsule styled button. When I decide to start using Zoho Sheets or Zoho Notebook, it would be a lot easier for me to transition to that application if the New Sheet/New Notebook actions represented in the same space and in the same style, and not as a tab.

Familiarity is a key factor that affects the usability of any object or service. Personally, I have noticed myself rejecting services (as useful as they might be) due to the amount of learning involved in understanding the new interface. In my opinion Zoho should use familiarity to its advantage and standardize a few key actions. This way many first time users will not get intimidated by the learning curve required to begin using the service.

I have to say that I am truly amazed by the ZOHO Suite of web applications.

Seems to me like they are going to give Google Docs and 37 Signals a run for their money if they play their cards right! Both these companies do have their own unique advantages - 37Signals being a pioneer in the online collaboration space has its own advantages and signature simplicity of design while Google Docs has the biggest advantage of the large Gmail user base, therefore getting more visibility.

But there is plenty of space for competition in the 'online desktop & workspace'. Individually, the ZOHO applications are not as meaningful as they are together. Although I've just seen the Zoho suite at the surface level I'm only hoping that they have integrated these apps internally to provide the user a seamless experience.

And this is only the beginning !! :)