Web design style: operating system
Posted on Tue Jul 20, 2010, 10:14 am in design commentary by Siasan.Tags: design commentary, operating system design style, web design
126 Comments
General description
The operating system style of web design creates sites that look like the user interface of an operating system and use similar visual cues to orient the user. The most popular style is Mac, but there are also examples inspired by older operating systems. The introduction of glass-like effects in newer Windows operating systems has also begun to affect this style. Examples of the style include Mac-style navigation buttons or the Mac OS dock as well as glass-like block borders. The style is usually used for web-based applications.
Newer additions to this style also resemble the interface of the iPhone and other ‘smart phones’.
Important features
- Overall impression is similar to an operating system window
- can be inspired by Mac, Windows or other operating systems
- uses the same navigation cues as the original operating system
- often visually similar to a desktop program
When it was fashionable
Operating system style is a fairly new style, becoming fashionable with the introduction of more attractive OS interfaces such as Mac OSX and Windows Vista. However, there are older examples as well, particularly among web-based applications.
What inspires the style
The style is inspired by operating system interface design. Designers who use this style are aiming to create a sense of familiarity for their users. They will usually take the most important and/or visually attractive elements from the operating system interface, combining the familiarity of the operating system with familiar elements from conventional web design.
How the style has changed over time
Since it was introduced, the style has changed constantly as operating systems are updated, following the OS trend towards slick and shiny interfaces. The style always resembles the current version of the particular operating system that inspires it.
How technology has caused the style to change
The major changes to technology that have altered this style have all come from Apple, particularly the introduction of their shiny metallic windows and navigation bars. Recently, the iPhone has caused a major rethink of this style, with websites beginning to use style cues from its interface.
Example URLs and screen shots
http://extplorer.sourceforge.net/
eXtplorer
You can’t look at an example by following the link above, but you can download a copy of the program and have a look at it. The screenshot is from a localhost installation I was using for testing. The application is a limited-function substitute for CPanel that has the benefit of using the normal http port for file uploads and downloads.
Ten By Twenty
A site that uses a colour scheme, buttons and navigation bar inspired by the Mac operating system.
Kaliber10000
Kaliber10000 uses a style that could be described as ‘retro OS’, with pixel fonts and a reduced colour scheme. It has also been suggested that this might be a separate style called ‘pixel fonts’, which was used in the late 1990s.
Links
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/02/26/navigation-menus-trends-and-examples/ – section 2 on Mac-style navigation menus
http://safalra.com/web-design/javascript/mac-style-dock/ – a Javascript Mac-style dock that can be embedded on any web page. The larger demo appears to be broken, but there is a working example on the main article page.
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/08/11/css-system-styles/ – an article on using CSS2 to extract colours from the user’s operating system and apply them to a website.
You can also look at things like Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online and a variety of other web-based applications for style inspiration.
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