Presentation techniques

Jan wrote that he sees possibilities in Windows Presentation Foundation, for one that he doesn’t need to bother with the design anymore. For developers this is indeed very good. I can see applications build in the future where you’re obliged to some interface guidelines, but you just throw some controls on the screen without detailed concerns of the final interface. When you’re done adding all controls, a graphical designer can transform it into a great looking screen.

But also for businesses there are great possibilities. In a podcast I listened to, some Microsoft fellow talked about an application for a car rental company. When you tried to rent a car, very subtle it offered some extra options you could add to your car. WPF helped in the subtle presentation that could trigger people to notice it, without being too obstructive. And it did that far better than current presentation techniques (Windows Forms or HTML) could do so. All for better revenue for the car rental company.

I do believe this really is what Windows Presentation Foundation has to offer. I have no clue in how, but I’m sure that great graphical designers can come up with awesome stuff.