Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.

By Matt Hulett

Remember that Pantene shampoo commercial with Kelly Le Brock in the 80’s?  She starts out the commercial sensually
stating, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”   As a young, puberty-laden kid (with hating Kelly LeBrock the last thing on my mind), this ad made quite an impact on me.  The image of an attractive woman was just too darn intoxicating.   Fast forward 20-25 years.  Today, in the technology space, there are few products or technologies that can stand up to the Kelly Le Brock-Pantene Test.  I just love it when I see a product or technology that is gorgeous and approachable.
 
I like it when local Seattle folk like Kelly Smith riff on product design.  He’s particularly gifted in this area and I really liked his Seattle 2.0 post on design guidelines.
 
Here are some applications that I think stand up to the “Pantene test:”
 

  • Songbird – very cool open-source customizable music player — you can see song lyrics as your listening to music.

  • Weebly – Kevin Leneway of AStartupADay.com (and Seattle 2.0) turned me onto this site.  It is perhaps the easiest way to create a web site that I have ever seen.  You can literally drag-and-drop your way to a cool looking site in mere minutes.  Even things like forms and forums are easily integrated. 
  • Animoto– you can create really sexy slideshows in mere minutes.  The interface is elegant and easy to use.  Plus, your output looks like a professional graphics designer.

  • Digsby – a cool way to see your IM, email alerts, and multiple social networks in one place.  Great UI for managing your personal and social life complexity.  
I’d be interested to hear from you on some of your favorite Web applications that you deem “gorgeous” and usable.  Who passes your Pantene Test?
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