Desktop- and web-applications that are based on Java Swing can significantly benefit from a tailor-made look and feel. The look and feel can, e.g., support the grouping of individual applications into a product family comparable to the common look and feel of the individual applications from the Microsoft Office Suite. In addition, a recognizable and individual look and feel can act as business differentiator.

A graphical user interface can be improved significantly through the use of professionally designed icons. The benefit of using such icons goes beyond the mere aesthetical level: they convey system functionality in an intuitive manner and thus contribute to an efficient user-system interaction. This means that professionally designed icons improve usability of a user interface in two respects.

The sweeping success of Apple’s iPhone is proof that solutions featuring a well thought out and aesthetical user interface can face up to competition in a hard-fought market – even more: they can give new impetus to a seemingly saturated market.

But not only lifestyle devices such as mobile phones benefit from professional conception and design of their user interface. For business software, too, the user interface has become a competitive differentiator: since users take the availability of required functionality as granted, usability of systems becomes the distinguishing feature.

Looking back at a successful CeBIT 2008, Centigrade will be attending the SYSTEMS 2008 trade show.