The Thermo stuff is definitely interesting, but thinks like a graphic
designer, not like an interactive designer. Expression in their tutorials
anyway is thinking similarly.
Basic assumption that is false that both are making is that I'm going to
make a finalized high fidelity graphic UI as a flat screen to start and THEN
add interactive elements. This goes against the very way IxD's have been
working.
What is the core element that most (sorry Andrei) IxD's work with?
Wireframes!!!!
What we want more than anything is a way to sketch, not to draw,
interactions as easily as we can wireframe.
THEN! build the styles on top of that!
Now, this is where Expression CAN do a good job, but it isn't marketed well
that way AND it requires WAY too much collaboration with a developer (call
them an integrator all you want, but they are a developer (wolf) in sheep's
clothing ("designer sensibility" - G-d! I love that line). W/o this
developer, you have to be an Andrei to get anything really interactive done
well. Simple click-throughs require you to open up (dare I say it) Visual
Studio and work in C# if you want to do anything production level or Visual
Basic for the boring stuff. At least Flash has a robust internal scripting
language (based on ECMSCript that is REALLY easy to use).
But here's the good part and how I'm working right now (mileage may
vary)...
Do your wireframes (Don't do visual comps to start ... put that part off for
as long as possible)
With your developer confirm a user control architecture that makes sense
from their point of view. an understanding of object-based or oriented
programming theory is helpful here b/c re-use, scalability, and other issues
will arise.
After you do this level of breaking out your screens, then create your user
controls.
Throw this all over the wall. It will be totally usable at the production
level.
LOTS will be missing at this point.
* interactions
* transition animations
* visual design
If your screens have many states, you put all your states in the same
control and use visibility to hide the exception states. They'll be there
for your developers to work with.
While they are busy trying to "integrate" everything; you and your team work
on the visual design. Get buy in!
Then when you are done and they are done, you'll have a raw click through,
but nothing you would want to show.
Ok, Here's the good part.
Just create resource dictionaries and templates using your new visual
design. Blend is really good at this stuff.
You hand the dictionaries and templates over to the developers and all they
have to do is add the files and the references in their solution and voila
(after a few prayers) you should have at least 60-75% of your presentation
layer designed.
Now the bad part.
You have to tweak w/ your "integrator" and then work on your transition
animations (fades, movements, slides, etc.).
You can create dummy examples of what you want in Expression, but according
to "my guy" who is writing the Unleashed book for 2.0, you really need to
code this stuff with a mix of XAML and C# to get it right, which means you
are back at his mercy again.
I have read that folks at frog are having their designers do usable
(production ready) clickable prototypes ONLY in Blend. "my guy" and everyone
else I've spoken with at MS has told me, it is not the point of Blend to do
that and it can't be done. THIS is the #1 flaw of the product and until it
can be resolved, the D > D workflow will never be solved. End of story.
There are no miracles here.
Why use it over Flash?
1) I want a desktop app.
2) I want to use .NET3 (3.5)
3) I want to build in Silverlight
4) My developers are .NET gurus and I want to build on that experience
5) My integration team requires a .NET framework, and WPF offers amazing
features.
There are amazing features in WPF that are worth exploring that is outside
of the Blend tool. It is worth checking out.
On Jan 23, 2008 5:46 PM, Russell Wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Adobe is doing the same thing, but in the other direction with Flex/AIR
> and Thermo. Because Adobe has a MUCH better undrestanding of
> the designer, I would be prone to align with their efforts. That is, I
> would
> rather work with their products as they come up to speed on understanding
> the developer and the design>developer workflow than the other way
> around...
>
> Russ
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 23, 2008 3:26 PM, W Evans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > I hear you Dave --
> >
> > A while back we talked a bit about this - and I was using Expression for
> > some design/interaction prototyping - but you you are right - from a
> > designer's perspective it was still very very painful (caveat - I
> > haven't
> > used it since September). The usability and flow was just not there for
> > a
> > true interface/interaction designer to feel comfortable enough giving up
> > the
> > old tools - even if the new tool would eventually hold the promise of
> > making
> > a much better integration between designer and developer.
> > And -- on the other front - as good as Nathan's WPF Unleashed book was
> > - it
> > was not enough for an IxD to be able to do simple data-binding without
> > much
> > gnashing of teeth and breaking of bones.
> >
> > That said - in a year or two it will be a formidable tool/
> >
> > On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:12:15, dave malouf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > > I'm a current user of Expression Blend and I think it is REALLY close
> > > ... about 60% of the way there. that missing 40% is painful. I have
> > > had good contacts with that team and I think that if we give them to
> > > 3.5 or 4.0 they might get it right.
> > >
> > > What I see wrong with their current direction is that they are trying
> > > to solve the Designer > Developer workflow problem instead of trying
> > > to solve the designer problem and THEN the designer > developer
> > > workflow problem. Which in my mind, if you solve the designer
> > > problem, there will be less issues between the two.
> > >
> > > If Blend is not a good designer tool, then you haven't solved the
> > > workflow issue b/c designers won't use it.
> > >
> > > I think adding the additional role of "integrator" as I think they
> > > are now calling it, is a HUGE mistake.
> > >
> > > >From an MS perspective though, there are 20million MS developers, and
> >
> > > MAYBE 100,000 interactive Designers (not developers). You do the math.
> > > ;)
> > >
> > > And how many of those designers are going to choose MS over Adobe?
> > >
> > > -- dave
> > >
> > >
> > > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> > > Posted from the new ixda.org
> > > http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25002
> > >
> > >
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> > > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> > > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
> > >
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> > > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> > > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > ~ will
> >
> > "Where you innovate, how you innovate,
> > and what you innovate are design problems"
> > -------------------------------------------------------
> > will evans
> > user experience architect
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > -------------------------------------------------------
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
> >
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Russell Wilson
> Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS
> Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com
--
David Malouf
http://synapticburn.com/
http://ixda.org/
http://motorola.com/
________________________________________________________________
*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
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