At æternity we are committed to the continuous evolution of the underlying technology which powers our æpps as well as the design and usability of each user interaction point. In this update we would like to showcase two pieces of technology we’ve developed recently: deeplinks and the connection between mobile and desktop æpps. In addition we also wish to illustrate the redesign of the Wall and Notary æpps.
Mobile and Desktop Device Connection
One of the primary challenges which keeps us busy is the task of improving the usability of blockchain applications. A key component of this is the ability to seamlessly switch devices and contexts without the user becoming frustrated or completely lost in the process. In addition to this opportunity for usability improvement, there are also security concerns around how to best tackle this particular user experience.
Currently we are working on a solution which makes the connection in the following way: in keeping with our mobile first directive, we consider a user’s mobile phone as the primary place to manage identity and private keys. To ensure security (by not moving a users private keys from one device to another) the Identity Manager æpp establishes a web sockets based connection between the phone and desktop computer. From there an identity can be used on the desktop device.
The user simply needs to scan a QR code from their desktop computer with their phone to establish the connection.
Once the connection has been made the user can use any of the identities created on their mobile phone within their desktop æpps.
Deep Links
Aiming to increase the utility of our æpps, we recently implemented deep links. This will allow users to share links directly from the sites/æpps they wish to share to their desired screens/æpp functionality.
There are several use cases for this. A very simple example can be found within the Wall æpp. A user can share a link to a post in the Wall æpp, which another user will open directly in the Identity Manager. The second user can then use one of their identities/balances to donate money to the post, which the 1st user made.
Redesign of Notary & the Wall æpp
In addition to the technology implementations mentioned above, we have redesigned the Notary and the Wall æpp in order to improve its usability and visual appeal.
Because the Notary æpp provides the user with “proof” of existence for an item or event, we have renamed it Proof.
In Sprint 05 we revised the Æternity UI Design Language. We then took a closer look into color schemes to make them semantic. We were able to adjust the color hues and define a semantic hierarchy within the color scheme and sizes. You can read more about this process in GitHub.
During our last sprint we updated the design of the existing æpps to fit the Æternity UI Design Language. In this way we created a unified user experience throughout all æternity æpps.
Bonus Material: Clickthrough Prototype of Our æpps
We have loaded a few of our æpps in a clicktrough prototype available below.
https://projects.invisionapp.com/share/FGFCXVMH7VY#/screens/273744061_00-00-Start
We Look Forward to Your Input!
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about testing our æpps, feel free to get in touch with us in Telegram.
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