>Mimic Microsoft Office apps as much as possible. IMO, they aren't the sexiest or easiest to use, but they are the most familiar. People will feel more at home than something that is different.
>
>Use hi-res graphics when you can. There are a bunch of new ones that ship with VS 2005. I'm not sure if they are included with the Express products, which is currently at free beta.
>
>>Stole the title for this thread from a post by Thurber, I think it would make an interesting topic as opposed to that other thread that's been dragged into the ground.
>>
>>I know for me the challange on the interface is getting good graphics and icons to spice it up with. But the chalange might be different for you.
>>
>>I'm interested in peoples thought on how to go about creating good interfaces as well as what you think is hot and what's not.


I completely agree. Although I played once with FP skins, just to see their look, I wouldn't even think of using them. As a corporate developer I prefer my users to be already familiar with the interface. So I use Outlook look whenever possible. I even used the ctListBar control from DBI-Tech.

A proven and popular interface like Outlook or Windows Explorer make users feel comfortable and reduces the learning curve.