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User Interface : Laplink Everywhere | Laplink Toolbar | PCmover | PCsync
Web : Roam Mobility | Laplink 25th Anniversary | PCmover
Print : Roam Mobility | Gold08 Packaging | Laplink Christmas Card | Sam Taylor Book Cover
Identity : Networks For Change | Roam Mobility | ACE | Northern Lights

 

 

OVERVIEW

PCsync is a desktop application to synchronise folders. Folders can either be on the same computer or on different ones (connected with a USB cable or over a network). A complementary web application is also available for storing and organising folders, allowing users to synchronise over the Internet if the afore-mentioned connection cannot be established.

 

 

USER INTERFACE

PCsync was already a key element in Laplink’s product lineup. The existing product, however, focussed on two functions: synchronising folders and transferring files. This was also reflected in the user interface, convoluting the main intent of PCsync as an efficient synchronisation tool. As such, this project began with retooling the existing user interface to showcase PCsync’s synchronisation capabilities - simplifying the process of setting up and managing folders, providing additional useful options and adding a web application to support synchronisation over the Internet.

For this, use cases were developed to help with the redesign. Together with an analysis of competing products, a draft for the desktop application was created in the form of wireframes and put through internal testing. Upon determining the most efficient layout, the drafts were then illustrated in its entirety, complete with text, icons and a suitable colour scheme. These were then finetuned in response to subsequent rounds of user testing. The process was then repeated for the web application.

 

 

 

 

ART DIRECTION

Art direction for PCsync was deliberatly minimal and utilitarian. PCsync was designed to run in the background, never interfering with the user's work unless specifically requested. For this reason, the only times the user will interact with PCsync is when setting up synchronisation jobs or resolving conflicts. Therefore, extra attention was given to these areas. The user interface needed to suit the workflow, with clear and concise content and appropriate art direction that would also lend itself to other Laplink applications (PCsync is integrated into several other Laplink products).

 

 

 

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