I tested quite a bit of different Google Wave gadgets in my christmas calender last month. I tried 40 different apps with a large verity in their complexity and usability. Some of them did not have any useful functions or did not work.
I really liked many of the ideas created in the gadgets and some was really useful. It was fun to see how people wanted to impress with new ideas.
The quality of the gadgets and robot was lausy. Mine included. I believe that many of to my application must be improved. But with the limited option in the robot API hinders making layouts to shine. It also provide a hindering there is a lack of way the gadget/robots can work together. If there was a better way to make the gadgets/robot work together, the layout issues could be solved.
I will say that most of the gadgets except maybe the simpler voting gadgets all require extra work before they can be used by a wider audience. The robots where you need to write commands with # or ! as the only thing in blip, I doubt that my mother will pick it up easily which is required to get non tech savvy users on board.
One key to make it possible to get the robot to function better is to pay the developers. I guess most of the developers of the robots/gadgets I have seen just tried the protocol out of see if they could make something useful. And they can. But to make them look wave-y the gadgets need to look better.
To make the gadgets/robot complete we need to be able to get some better apis and more importantly be able to charge for your apps. Currently it can be possible to charge for the usage of a robot and with some development also a gadget, but it is a pain and will require to much of the user.
I’m therefore looking forward a Wave app store is created. It will be interesting to see if it only supports one time payments or monthly payments and maybe even corporate multi seat licenses. The wave app store will mean that more developers will start with developing programs for Google Wave, making the platform more attractive.
I’m currently only letting my apps be available to my mail list subscribers. We have a new scrum gadget that just need to be published. So sign up to the newsletter and try it out.
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4 comments ↓
I’ve definitely felt this as well. I think you make a good point too about how for some of these apps you have to be a real tech savvy user and jump through a bunch of hoops to use a gadget. I realize by default Google Wave tends to appeal to the more tech savvy user, but if Google Wave is to be used as a helpful tool for any type of user, the ease of using a app needs to be upped a bit.
I’d almost like to see a favorites list within wave for gadgets remembering their URLs and all that.. that way you can add it in just a click.
Daniel,
Great point. I think many of the extensions that have been built have come out of hack-a-thons. I am a member of the GTUG and see 2-3 extensions every hack-a-thon. Thus, you get an unfinished product. The ones that are being built by developers are, I think, just place holder extensions while they wait for something more from Google.
I think this year in the second half will be an exciting time for Google Wave as we should have a more stable and updated release. Also, we should get something ref direction at I/O 2010.
Are you going to I/O 2010? I have my ticket, I will be there. Would be nice to get together.
[...] are not very useful and need more developing….as Daniel Graverson wrote in his excellent post Google Wave Gadgets Lack Quality. So, for that reason I am not going to talk too much about the extensions that are available to [...]
Great post! Yeh they do lack quality but i think it will be a slow process and soon when Google launch wave extensions directly and roll out to public .. the quality will improve!
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