[mwcampbell]

From the article:

> In other words, in today’s market, a branded, custom UI is king.

Does a custom UI per app not make it more difficult for people to learn each new app? Didn't the platform developers write their human interface guidelines for a reason? Or was that level of consistency only necessary in the early days of Mac and Windows, when the temptation was to port a DOS app straight over rather than redesigning it as a GUI?

[yorwba]

Platforms also like their branded, custom UIs. When you build an app that uses the platforms widgets, you reinforce the platform's brand. When you use the same look everywhere, on the web and for apps on each platform, you reinforce your own brand.

If platform developers cared so much about consistency, they wouldn't change their UI design just to freshen up their image or because design trends have changed. Maybe looking and behaving like everyone else really has a major influence on user adoption, but it usually seems to be ignored in favor of branding.

[mwcampbell]

For mobile platforms, is there such a thing as timeless, classic UI design that won't look dated next year, but doesn't require every app developer to create their own brand?