July 21, 2010
November 24, 2009
Over the past month I have been playing around with a ton of different wire framing tools and have been in search of wireframe nirvana for some time now. I may have just found it in iPlotz.com. I have searched low and high, installed countless demos and even paid for quite a bit of software in my never ending search. Well…I think i have finally found an application that encompasses all of the things I want and none of the things I hate.
To start off I’ll fill you in on the past. I’ve used everything from InDesign, Visio, Illustrator, Pen and Paper, and the list goes on… I made a decent effort at using flash components for prototypes and tried to use Flash Catalyst in the same manner. Each one of the different applications had about the same hurdle (in my opinion). Each of them required the individual doing to work to have a good working knowledge of the application. It was hard to share your work with others and openly collaborate. It was very specific to that persons computer (software license) and in the end I have never felt that any of those tools really did the job well because that wasn’t really what they were built for. Visio was close but I hate PC’s so it was a no go right off the bat.
In my search I cam across iPlotz. It is a web based application that allows you to wireframe your site and then make the whole thing clickable. so in one big swoop you can do the UX needed and prototype the idea in a really fast amount of time. Its web based so you can log in from anywhere. It has an Air app that runs pretty well so you can work offline. It also has a decent commenting system built in so that you can pass around your ideas for other to comment on things.
Here is quick example I put together in about 30 minutes to show everyone what I am talking about.
http://bit.ly/5twbMs
Here is a link to sign up if you want to demo iPlotz
November 10, 2009
October 1, 2009
I have a personal project I have been waiting… trying… or hoping to start. I guess I’ve made the realization that I need to expand my ability in order to build something that could be considered a web application. I’ve done the simple php stuff, wordpress hacks, and even a little java (not so much). I have even built a stupid simple cms for myself back in the day. It sucked. So the big question on my mind is do I take up Ruby on Rails or do I go the Cake PHP route.
As a part of the “What is this whole Interactive thing?” post, I think its important to understand whats behind the scenes. As a CD in an interactive firm I find it very important to understand the limitations of all aspects of the work. Some people scoff at understanding the backend and only concern themselves with the appearance. I’d encourage any creative on the interactive side of things to really dig into the dev side of life.
So Rails or Cake? I’m thinking Rails.
September 19, 2009
Ethan all comfy in his chair and surrounded by his blankets.
