Roi,

>I have to diagree Ed. Application developement is ONLY about the users. They asked for and will be the ones using the application. You could write the most bulletproof, robust code possible, but if the UI bites, the users will think the app bites as well.

>At my office we hired a VFP developer about 1 1/2 years ago to migrate a FPD 2.6 app to VFP. He told me the same thing "The UI doesn't matter, the data is way more important". He did some prototype forms. They sucked. We fired him. If the user doesn't have the best possible interface they won't use it, or worse will resent being forced to use something they don't like.

But here you've got to be carefull. Often users themselves don't know excactly what they want. The may say something like: "I need a button which pops up a form and shows me the more recent ordered articles of this client." Then you've got a choice: Don't ask anymore and start implementing this new feature, or ask: Why do you need this ?? The client may answer: "I want to check if the client has ordered this article before". Then you'd probaly add extra information on the form that displays the last date the client ordered that article (Or you could ask again: why do you want to know this ?, etc..).

This example shows that application development often is more an art than just a few rules. Users often don't think in constructive application development. they just think of how to solve their common problems. In stead of telling their problems they often come with solutions to their personal problems. As a developer (or Consultant or whatever) you've got to beware that your solutions are constructive and do not lead to a three headed dragon.

Walter,