Frank Piacitelli

I love you Ikea, but are you really emailing me about the swedish meatballs in your in-store restaurant? With type rendered in graphics using Verdana. Did you lose your license for Futura or something? Brand erosion hurts.

37signals recently launched a new version of Backpack, their web-based service that allows non-technical users to easily make web pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. It’s no surprise that the guys at 37signals continue to innovate with “Ajax” functions. What has always impressed me about their web-based tools is the ease of use - I originally started using Basecamp simply because it handled the file uploading process more cleanly and intuitively for non-technical users than any other system I’d seen. I have this pipe dream that someone, perhaps one of the groups that I consider to lead the charge in web design and development that focuses on user needs and clear, effective communication, will someday soon create a content management system (CMS) that will change the way most businesses approach the web. I believe that with this version of Backpack, 37signals has created a tool that has some features and benefits that closely resemble those of a CMS. There are many content management systems available already - many of them very good. But most try so hard to be one-size-fits-all that they’re too difficult for the average business person to use. I believe that 37signals could come up with a system that would combine ease-of-use with a small set of tools that would satisfy most users’ needs. If you’re listening, Jason, I would be ridiculously interested in developing this kind of thing with your group.

Participate in A List Apart’s first annual survey to increase knowledge of web design and boost respect for the profession. I did.