Friday, October 09, 2009

Dropbox

I just have to write a few lines about the application Dropbox. It is amazing how much this extremely simple application has changed my everyday life. I am constantly moving between a number of computers and have always struggled with keeping my computers as similar as possible when it comes to all the material I am working on. I used to email myself, use servers to save stuff, etc. With Dropbox all that is gone! Conceptually Dropbox is a simple design. From a use perspective it is also very simple. I find this to be an excellent example of a particular type of designed artifacts and a close examination and design critique of Dropbox would be fun to read. Anyhow, this design makes my days easier!

7 comments:

Chad said...

I have been invited to use DropBox by numerous people. I have hesitated because I don't know how I feel about the security of the information or how it might be data mined without my permission. As a user (and apparent fan) of DropBox, do you think my concerns are valid?

Chung-Ching said...

They invited you to register DropBox just because the bonus of extra storage space. You can decide to share or not to share files with peoples after you start to use DropBox.

Lynn Dombrowski said...

I agree a lot with what you say, I do like that dropbox works exactly like windows, so you don't have to learn a new interface. In that regards it's very simple and easy to use.

However, I use dropbox with other students, and it isn't very transparent about who has access to which files. Unless of course you go to their website, log in, and go to the shared section.

Erik Stolterman Bergqvist said...

hi all,

thanks for the comments. Well, there are always questions about privacy in the work of the "cloud". When it comes to backup etc, Dropbox takes care of that. All my files are saved locally on all my computers plus on the Dropbox server. I have not tried to work with other using Dropbox but I will definitely try it.

Erik

pinsym said...

I've been using drop box too. I love it, my PC-Mac days are much easier now, and I don't have to lug my laptop around as much any more.
I echo the concerns with security in the 'cloud'. So I have the awkward situation of mirroring my folder structure (but not my files) in my computer. So, if it's a secure folder, it's only on my laptop. If it's just 'stuff' then it goes into the dropbox. Awkward I know.

Lynn Dombrowski said...

Oh my, I just discovered that dropbox keeps your meta-information!

Which I love, since sometimes that how I like to access information (like ... I want to use the last document I worked with.) -- dropbox is making my life a lot easier.

Ok, I'm going to stop fangirl-ing over this application now. :)

Unknown said...

This design surely makes your days easier!:) The process of custom writing is not easy, but possible! All depends upon your direct desire to cooperate with the right people!