4 ms·

What if you could sketch your UI with a stencil, paper, and pencil. Then take a picture of it and have it translated into native components?

jfolkins 8y ago
Now that is a super interesting idea. Create a flow scheme too so you can process transitions? flow:success f1:s1->f1:s2->f1:s3 flow:error f1:e1->f1:e2 edit: another thought is that this concept could encourage people in your org who struggle with wireframe technology to express their ideas. Generationally and across culture, smartphone use is now accepted. People also know how to draw on pencil and paper. Now all you are asking them is a final DSL to express their thoughts. Lower barrier? edit2: there is also something to be said for having someone step through their wireframe and flow control by taking pictures. It may take the abstract and create something tangible as they can logically piece their work together with actual pieces of paper?
- mcbutterbunz 8y ago
  Yeah, a flow scheme would be killer. You could easily come up with many different prototypes and get quick feedback on what works or doesn't work.
taeric 8y ago
Odds are high, mine would look worse. I'm not exactly an artist. Unless you mean just sketch using graph paper and translating coordinates. Not sure why I need a camera for that. :(
- mcbutterbunz 8y ago
  I was thinking of using something like this: https://www.uistencils.com/products/website-stencil-kit https://www.uistencils.com/products/website-stencil-kit
- jfolkins 8y ago
  It sounds like you don't. But many in my org come to me with an idea, and having them think through the logical pieces and build a functional wireframe would help under resourced people like me so much. Also, many people just think that business logic for sanitization and validation "just happens." The barrier to wireframing, for them, is too high so they don't. But in this idea, I could see someone submitting a wireframe to me and my response being "well what happens when a phone number is international?" I'm educating stakeholders on the functional cost of producing their idea. This would theoretically create a feedback loop for future ideas and initiatives as now, they've begun to be educated on the process. They have direct experience. Anyway, anything to lower that barrier in order to partner with and teach my executives and their supporting staff would be a huge win. At least for me.
  - nnq 8y ago
    > many people just think that business logic for sanitization and validation "just happens." The barrier to wireframing, for them, is too high so they don't Maybe the barrier is where it should be. Or maybe it should be even higher! People who can't understand the logic of an interface have no business creating or suggesting interfaces. An UI is meant to be used, not looked at like a pretty picture in a frame. It should feel good and feel smooth and increase productivity... not look good. Some of the best looking UIs I've ever seem were also the most utterly user-hostile, unituitive and productivity lowering. Sure, if you can afford to pay someone 500/hour or smth "outrageous" like that (hint: you need a word-class artist, with advanced knowledge of user psychology, that also has the brain of a business logic analist or of programmer involved in product design) you could get something that both looks goorgeous and feels smooth and increases user productivity 10x. But usually you need to make sacrifices, and the ones the user will hate you for are those that make his life harder despite seeming nice and slick at first.
    - jfolkins 8y ago
      Clarification, I'm talking about a tool like this one that incorporated flow control and process into the wireframes. > Maybe the barrier is where it should be. Or maybe it should be even higher! Across the industry people in leadership positions assume that making UI/UX is easy. Those same people are usually the owners or major stakeholders of the project. Any avenue to put more functional ownership back onto that group to empower and educate is a worth endeavor.
seanmcdirmid 8y ago
If I was using a lot of parameterization and abstraction, this approach would be very annoying. I mean, it’s great if I just have to do one UI, not so great if I have to do many of them in slightly different ways. This might make more sense for a designer, but they shouldn’t be so close to production anyways.
zeroname 8y ago
What if I could just write text in my text editor of choice to manipulate the state of my user interface? Oh wait, I can. Thank God.

jfolkins 8y ago

Now that is a super interesting idea. Create a flow scheme too so you can process transitions? flow:success f1:s1->f1:s2->f1:s3 flow:error f1:e1->f1:e2 edit: another thought is that this concept could encourage people in your org who struggle with wireframe technology to express their ideas. Generationally and across culture, smartphone use is now accepted. People also know how to draw on pencil and paper. Now all you are asking them is a final DSL to express their thoughts. Lower barrier? edit2: there is also something to be said for having someone step through their wireframe and flow control by taking pictures. It may take the abstract and create something tangible as they can logically piece their work together with actual pieces of paper?

mcbutterbunz 8y ago
Yeah, a flow scheme would be killer. You could easily come up with many different prototypes and get quick feedback on what works or doesn't work.

taeric 8y ago

Odds are high, mine would look worse. I'm not exactly an artist. Unless you mean just sketch using graph paper and translating coordinates. Not sure why I need a camera for that. :(

mcbutterbunz 8y ago
I was thinking of using something like this: https://www.uistencils.com/products/website-stencil-kit https://www.uistencils.com/products/website-stencil-kit
jfolkins 8y ago
It sounds like you don't. But many in my org come to me with an idea, and having them think through the logical pieces and build a functional wireframe would help under resourced people like me so much. Also, many people just think that business logic for sanitization and validation "just happens." The barrier to wireframing, for them, is too high so they don't. But in this idea, I could see someone submitting a wireframe to me and my response being "well what happens when a phone number is international?" I'm educating stakeholders on the functional cost of producing their idea. This would theoretically create a feedback loop for future ideas and initiatives as now, they've begun to be educated on the process. They have direct experience. Anyway, anything to lower that barrier in order to partner with and teach my executives and their supporting staff would be a huge win. At least for me.
- nnq 8y ago
  > many people just think that business logic for sanitization and validation "just happens." The barrier to wireframing, for them, is too high so they don't Maybe the barrier is where it should be. Or maybe it should be even higher! People who can't understand the logic of an interface have no business creating or suggesting interfaces. An UI is meant to be used, not looked at like a pretty picture in a frame. It should feel good and feel smooth and increase productivity... not look good. Some of the best looking UIs I've ever seem were also the most utterly user-hostile, unituitive and productivity lowering. Sure, if you can afford to pay someone 500/hour or smth "outrageous" like that (hint: you need a word-class artist, with advanced knowledge of user psychology, that also has the brain of a business logic analist or of programmer involved in product design) you could get something that both looks goorgeous and feels smooth and increases user productivity 10x. But usually you need to make sacrifices, and the ones the user will hate you for are those that make his life harder despite seeming nice and slick at first.
  - jfolkins 8y ago
    Clarification, I'm talking about a tool like this one that incorporated flow control and process into the wireframes. > Maybe the barrier is where it should be. Or maybe it should be even higher! Across the industry people in leadership positions assume that making UI/UX is easy. Those same people are usually the owners or major stakeholders of the project. Any avenue to put more functional ownership back onto that group to empower and educate is a worth endeavor.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago

If I was using a lot of parameterization and abstraction, this approach would be very annoying. I mean, it’s great if I just have to do one UI, not so great if I have to do many of them in slightly different ways. This might make more sense for a designer, but they shouldn’t be so close to production anyways.

zeroname 8y ago

What if I could just write text in my text editor of choice to manipulate the state of my user interface? Oh wait, I can. Thank God.