Ex-Apple, Microsoft Designer Signs on with RIM

Don Lindsay, a designer previously in the employ of Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), is now working under BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)-maker Research in Motion, and good thing, too – the BlackBerry UI could sure use a makeover. There’s some contention over whether Lindsay worked on the iPhone or not, but even if his experience limited to OS X, it will likely serve him well with BlackBerry. As VP of User Experience as RIM, it’s entirely possible that we’ll see Don make some notable changes in the BlackBerry experience, which, to be honest, hasn’t changed much over the years. Typically, BlackBerry UI has had small, safe, incremental upgrades, but relied on familiarity to keep enterprise users comfortable. Since he just got signed on in March, it’s unlikely Lindsay’s influence will be seen in the upcoming BlackBerry 9630, but perhaps the Storm 2 we’ve been hearing so much about will get some special treatment…

[Update]
MocoNews has confirmed that Lindsay did not, in fact, have anything to do with the iPhone and its iconic UI. Lindsay left Apple in 2003, which preceded the iPhone’s 2007 launch by too many years for Lindsay to have had a hand in iPhone design.

[via MocoNews, pic via istartedsomething]