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Posted by Rod in Apple, Development at 9:27 pm on Wednesday, 11 June 2008
We really believe in design for competitive advantage. So its great seeing examples of the design process.
Cultured Code who do ‘Things’ are working on their iPhone version and blogged a great snapshot of the design process. Click through for the full picture.
blog
Cool - thanks for posting that up. Do you guys get data flows done first or are your interaction guys working straight to screen flows?
I guess this relates to a previous post about the iPhone also. As you point out there is a clear strategy and along the way there havent been too many bumps… maybe the TV thing and the stereo - but as you rightly point out there must be some hands on the wheel. I am not sure it isnt a lot of Jobs… Certainly since his return there have been changes. Must confess, I will buy an iPhone - no debate. I am a mac nut who would have bought it if its only innovation was a realistic fart sound. Howdy Rod -met you a few weeks ago at the Southland COC do.
Hmm, not to be a party pooper but this scamp sheet has the finely tuned look of ‘artful messiness’ which is just a bit too clean to believe. I suspect at the very least an illustrator has interpreted some ‘napkin drawings’ to give this the look of authenticity while injecting some of the clean lined artistry and muted hues which bring to mind the craft and artistry of 1930s aircraft design blueprints or perhaps riff on the SoHo loft architect visual imagery exploited by Apple and Apple software developers back in the 80s. Ah polished floors, glass desks, corduroys and a Mac Plus… such simple times!
@Matt. Interesting you thought this looked staged.
Actually this is valid format for presentation of interaction design part way through the process. It’s presented in this way for a few reasons.
It forms a blueprint so you can see the major screen elements and flow.
It’s not yet pixel perfect and is not coloured as at this stage as you don’t want the design evaluation and feedback to be distracted.
Once the flow and elements are agreed, the next stage would be pixel perfect artwork.
So this is not casual sketches, this is an interesting stage in the process. To me it is art. When you see people who can present design like this - hire them! It’s a real skill.
Love the date selection tumblers.
Glad to be proven a jaded old cynic on this one Rod and love the use of low tech throughout the software design process. Similar to an architect friend of mine who works with fat pencils during the concept phase - has the client focusing on the overall rationale of the design rather than the detail as a CAD drawing tends to. Nice.