Thoughts on Design @ OpenAVN
When was the last time you smiled when you used a piece of software? Microsoft Word? Yawn. Google Sheets? Double Yawn. TurboTax? Time for a nap.
At first glance, these are not inspiring programs, but entire legions of teams of people have poured their careers into making them simple and easy to use. The malleable nature of software lends to its ability to be a great equalizer when it comes to usability for the masses. That said, consumers have come to expect thoughtful design and continual iteration, which is exactly what OpenAVN has set out to deliver with its suite of products and services.
Successful businesses should solve problems for their customers, subscribers, or user base. The very best businesses solve problems that users did not even know that they had. With this spirit in mind, OpenAVN turns traditional cybersecurity on its head by offering crowdsourced threat intel, mach speed processing, and AI-Powered scanning that allows for quick system scans, all while preserving user privacy.
Observing the success stories of companies and individuals that we admire helps inspire our own market disrupion by looking for solutions to problems that users did not know they had. Trend spotting is just as important as trend setting, and our dedicated R&D team allows us to have an edge in both of these arenas.
For instance, in 2007, consumers were not clamoring for touchscreen smartphones while they clung to their Blackberries. Even fewer had thought of the possibilities of selling apps on phones through a centralized marketplace, as we were still fixated on custom ringtones, buying individual songs, and we were convinced that Snake was a “fun game” to play on our Nokia phones. Steve Jobs saw beyond how people then used their phones, and proceeded to disrupt the entire mobile industry with the introduction of the iPhone.
Steve Jobs was not a designer by trade, but he was a visionary, who was able to assemble the very best dreamers, designers, programmers, and makers of the time to create everything from the iPod, to the iPhone, and the iPad.
Having a knack for finding the right people for the right jobs is a core component of great leadership (just ask ours!).
In this way, Apple found its way to Jony Ive (and his soothing voice) to design its products, Bob Mansfield to engineer them, Craig Federighi (and his great hair) to design their software, and so on. Not to be left out, Microsoft has its own visionaries in Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Panos Panay, and a whole host of those who solve problems through insightful design. Great companies should seek out and develop talent as they grow, to continually improve and rise to the challenges of the day.
While we are on the topic of Microsoft, they have launched a most curious device — the Surface Duo. Sure, there have been folding phones before, but not like this. Samsung and Nokia are both still trying to crack viable permutations of single-screened phones that just happen to fold in half. They almost always end in tears though. Alas, Microsoft has returned to its Surface prototype roots with the dual-screened Surface Duo. BrightScan will support Android soon, and the Surface Duo could be a unique canvas for our our developers to raise the design bar with.
This book-like design was initially championed by Android and T-Mobile Sidekick creator, Andy Rubin — back when the original Surface was in development at Microsoft.
Though Rubin no longer works directly for Microsoft, his influence there is felt to this day, as cross-pollination between Android and Microsoft has been a thing for a while. If you are curious, Panos Panay, the Chief Product Officer at Microsoft has a fascinating video explaining the how and why Microsoft has arrived at this form factor as the next evolution of mobile devices. Essentially, Microsoft’s assumption is that if we are expected to be hyper-productive, and two screens on a desktop makes people more productive, then why not try and make that work in a phone? OpenAVN noticed that key insight, and our products and services are being built to run across as many platforms and devices as possible. *Wink wink*
All that said, software design must be as insightful as it is inspiring. Blue screens of death are no longer acceptable, and neither are nagging reminders to update one’s software. Skeumorphism has been “dead” for some time, and Neumorphism is just now over the horizon. Automatic, over-the-air updates are now the norm, and the Internet has never been a more beautiful place thanks to visual improvements from HTML5 and OpenGL. OpenAVN aims to leverage its design chops to elevate the global state of cybersecurity. A quick scan (!) of the cybersecurity landscape might give the illusion that digital protection and privacy cannot be pretty. OpenAVN could not disagree more.
When it comes to insightful, visionary design at OpenAVN, we carefully look at real-world problems and who is facing them, before devising our elegant solutions.
With BrightScan, we are providing a digital threat solution for those who value their privacy and their peace of mind. OpenAVN wants to ensure that cybersecurity is one less worry for as many businesses as possible in this work from home renaissance. With Torus, our upcoming browser-based firewall, the goal is to provide the safest possible Internet browsing experience without breaking webpages, as many ad blockers tend to do. Torus is designed to ensure you can browse the web as smoothly as you would surf a wave. With straightforward core operations as simple as these, it is easy to always return to the zero state and consider if each additional feature serves those initial goals.
In addition to OpenAVN’s talented creative teams, we have partnered with New Zealand-based Gladeye to design a refreshing user interface and website for OpenAVN that stand apart from our peers, and give our users a reassuring experience when it comes to their personal security in cyberspace.
Each iteration and update of BrightScan, Torus, and beyond is an improvement inside and out for our users.
We hope that you leave feedback for us so we can continue to improve your experiences with our software.
For the very latest from the team at OpenAVN, please visit us at openavn.com to sign up for our latest updates and for early access to Brightscan and Torus once they are available. If you have a moment, and are interested in the chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card, please complete our survey so we can learn more about what you’d like us to develop next.
