Twitter desktop applications – they can be such handy little things. And up until last week everyone at Experience Solutions was quite happily using TweetDeck. However, the little frustrations that we had with the app became magnified due to some unrelated technical issues we were having with our internet. So the hunt for a new Twitter app began.

We chose to use TweetDeck because of some very useful features; multiple account feeds, searches, lists, and the ability to schedule updates. Personally, being able to schedule tweets in advance means that I can get on with my work safe in the knowledge that a part of our web presence is being taken care of.

After searching for other highly rated apps with similar capabilities and a perceived good UI we chose to use Seesmic desktop. But on the first day I encountered the same frustrations I had with TweetDeck.

The Problem

When using a twitter app that allows for multiple accounts there will be an option, typically a button (picture/icon/name) representing each account, to toggle between the user’s Twitter accounts. Thus, allowing the user to Tweet from one account or another.
 

TweetDeck uses small icons to represent each linked account

 
It took me a while to get used to using TweetDeck and I had to be careful to make sure I was not tweeting from the wrong account. However, I found that occasionally I did Tweet from the wrong account. This normally occurred when I wanted to send a Tweet from an account that wasn’t my default, and then forgot to select the correct account before hitting the ‘Send’ button.

Having chosen to switch Twitter applications, on the first day I used Seesmic I accidentally replied to a tweet from the wrong account, repeating the mistake Damian had made earlier in the week.

Which brings me to my point; do you notice which icon is highlighted every time you send a tweet?
 

Seesmic has the account names underneath the update field

The Solution

After sharing our frustrations, like true UX pros we started to look at how the design can change to reduce the chances of human error. We agreed that the Twitter app needs to reaffirm to the user that they are tweeting from a specific account.

Perhaps a message of some sort that questions the user just before they send it (we noticed that Seesmic have introduced this for retweeting)? But no, that could easily become very annoying. We still want it to be simple after all.
 

Seesmic has introduced an extra step in the process

 
A very close solution is CoTweet’s solution of having an overlay appear when you want to write an update that makes you choose which account you want to send it from (including multiple accounts). But this is also an extra when all I want to do is quickly write my Tweet and get on with my day.
 

CoTweet asks the user to choose an account

 
The simplest solution that we could come up with was for the send button to be different. We all have to click ‘Send’ for our 140 characters to reach the digital abyss, meaning that we engage with the send button when we click it. So what if the choice of which account to send it from was also the send button?

Here’s an example of something that I think would certainly help us at Experience Solutions when dealing with our tweets.
 

Wireframed version shows where the buttons could go

 
Each button represents a twitter account that has been added to the app. Once you have written your tweet you press the account button of choice to send it. When the tweet is sent from the first account the tweet will remain for a short period of time allowing the user to select other accounts or delete it and tweet something else.

So, now you have ‘heard’ our idea, if you have encountered this problem and have some ideas yourself, or know of an app you think comes close to solving our problem, let us know!

About Samantha Harvey

Sam recently graduated from Visual Communication. She joined our team in April 2011 and has been conducting user research and has been making sure our user interfaces follow good design principles. She's keen to point out our poor selection of fonts... er I mean typography (sorry Sam). Follow Samantha on twitter @samharvey_ux

So you have an idea for an app. You have visions of it hitting the top ten lists, going global and earning you plenty of cash. You’ve been fantasising about giving up the day job and making a business out of your app idea right?

You’re excited right now, and you should be. There are some very successful apps out there and once the ball starts rolling and people spread the word, you can find success quickly. But sometimes excitement can lead to blindness to some of the limitations of the idea because you’re so optimistic about it working. So before you hand in your resignation, let’s take a step back for a second and answer some questions to help you focus and make sure the idea really has legs.

Be honest with yourself and try to remain as objective as possible when answering them. It might help to talk them through with a friend, your family or your partner too.

About your motivation and commitment

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much better is this idea from your previous ideas?

2. Think back to the last app idea you were excited about, what were the reasons that stopped you from following through with it?

3. Are any of those reasons valid with your new idea?

4. Some app ideas take a while to realise. If you were to just focus on this app for the next 18 months will it hold your attention? Will you still be excited about it then?

About your app idea and its potential

We all have ideas for a new app or a new business but commitment and courage are what turns an idea into reality. But just making the idea happen doesn’t mean it will be successful. The idea has to be a good one and has to offer something of value to the people who will use it.

5. Do some research, how many other examples can you find of similar apps. How different is yours? Realistically what do you need to do to make yours even better?

6. If no-one else is doing it, why do you think that is? Is there a good reason why other people or companies haven’t taken advantage of a similar idea?

7. What problem does your app solve? How big a problem is it? How do people currently resolve this problem?

8. Be as specific as possible, who would use your idea? Why would they use it? When would they use it?

9. Why would they use your app instead of what’s already available to them?

10. How would they know to use your app over current alternatives?

Making sure your idea is not just another one in a sea of similar ideas is critical to success. If there are already lots of people doing something similar, yours has to stand out and offer something better or different. You also have to be sure that people will use it over their existing choices and even more important, will be aware of your app as an option. Be really honest with yourself here, if you can’t get past these questions you could end up wasting time on a bad idea, instead of starting again with an even better one.

Practical considerations to creating your app

Ok, so if you’ve got this far and you’re still going strong, now you just need to get a bit more practical on how you’ll fulfil your idea

11. What resources will you need to make your idea happen? People, equipment, skills and so on.

12. Are these resources within your reach? Can you overcome the obstacles to find these resources?

13. How much money will it take for you to gain access to all these resources? How will you raise this money?

14. Imagine your idea is now complete. Working backwards, what were the major steps involved in getting there?

15. How much time will each of these stages take you? How will you find the time among your other commitments?

This last set of questions was designed to help you get a grip of the realistic and practical aspects of turning your ideas into reality. You’ll need a clear project plan and a clear vision to get there, especially if you’ll be bringing others in to help you create the app.

Most app ideas end up staying in someone’s head or notebooks, and rarely get past the kind of questions and thinking set out above. Coming up with an idea is the easy part. Making it happen takes far more time and effort than some people realise. But, if the idea is good enough and your passion is strong enough, you might just find that you’re at the beginning of a very rewarding and exciting journey. Good luck!

About Damian Rees

Damian is an applied psychologist but don't let that scare you, he's actually quite nice. With 12 years' experience in researching and designing for users in a variety of different contexts including web applications, voice recognition, and air traffic control interfaces. Follow Damian on twitter @damianrees