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How I taught myself Design and shipped an app in 12 weeks
- udayaprakash19 14y agoGuys, Traces is a mobile blogging application for iPhone, we are planning to launch in a couple of weeks time.
- STRML 14y agoSo has it only been 8 weeks since the beginning and you're planning on shipping in 4? Otherwise I don't really understand the 'shipped in 12 weeks' remark.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoExactly! I finished the app in about 8 weeks, but dint read thru the guidelines and had to rework the major portions from scratch again and took me another few weeks to get it completely done. Not paying attention to apple guidelines cost me dearly.
- patothon 14y agoIf you're a web/mobile developer, why not just learn design principles and directly code?
- dreamdu5t 14y agoThis is what I do now. I used to go the full Photoshop mockup route, but now I find it more efficient to just start coding.
- patothon 14y agoYep, Jason Fried released a blog article about that few years ago. High Definition prototypes.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoI am unable to understand your question, In the presentation I have just outlined how I learnt Photoshop to design elements in our mobile app.
- patothon 14y agoI'm just saying that, if you're a developer, isn't it better to directly code and ship an "almost okay" app in 1/2 week, get feedback and iterate than learning photoshop, wireframe, design, code and ship in 7/8 weeks?
- udayaprakash19 14y agoIn any case we had to get a design guy, even novice guys cost bomb, So I thought it was better spend a few weeks and learn.
- patothon 14y agoI understand that. But which one is better : 8 weeks to learn how to play with photoshop, or 8 weeks to learn about your market and users?
- aneth4 14y agoIf you end up with an app that is marketable and users will respect, the 8 weeks is probably worth it. Besides, it's a skill that keeps giving. Now he cans spend the next week both writing and designing his next app instead of getting stuck with an ugly app and no designer.
- sagacityhappens 14y agoNot sure i follow your point.
- patothon 14y agoThis guys are better than me to explain things probably : http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2009/12/version-1-sucks-but-ship-it-anyway.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2009/12/version-1-sucks-but... and http://successfulsoftware.net/2007/08/07/if-you-arent-embarrassed-by-v10-you-didnt-release-it-early-enough/ http://successfulsoftware.net/2007/08/07/if-you-arent-embarr... But I get all you points guys, no problem, and I find amazing that he managed to do all of that by himself.
- dreen 14y agoWell good for you, im happy you could launch an app. Is it a particularly hard thing to do? Is it news-worthy? I really don't think so. Good luck with your future work.
- cpursley 14y agoThis is hacker news. His example is the embodiment of the hacker mentality - learn the skills necessary to overcome an obstacle with as little time and money spent as possible. As someone who's a novice programmer, I'm impressed. I'd also like to learn the fundamentals of design.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoA post about someone's journey learning code gave me inspiration to start programming, I intend to give back in the same fashion. Will be happy if someone finds inspiration with this presentation and designs something.
- cpursley 14y agoThis is pretty impressive. Do you mind posting a few links to learning resources as well?
- udayaprakash19 14y agofew people have mailed me asking the same, I am planning to put it up as a small eBook and give away.
- cpursley 14y agoYou should write specially about learning photoshop to design mobile apps and charge for it. I'd pay $15. Especially if it included some PSD freebies. You should do a little sample and build another sign-up site to generate some interest.
- udayaprakash19 14y agonow that is tempting, may be sometime in the future & thank you for your kind words.
- philbarr 14y agoWell done and looks good! One thing I would add - I noticed a few clumsy typos in the slides and in the title of this very post. Please do proof-read your copy before you publish for your app. It probably doesn't matter as much here, but I think you can ruin your carefully designed professional impression with just one or two misspelt words.
- udayaprakash19 14y agothank you! yea did realize it a little too late. But will be more careful next time.
- ColinWright 14y agoYou could actually edit the title of this submission to remove the typo.
- udayaprakash19 14y agothanks a million, Done.
- shuaib 14y agoWhy did you decide to go with Photoshop, and not Illustrator? I am asking because I am in pretty much exactly the same situation, and getting ready to get dirty with design skills.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoThe honest answer is that I dint know what I was doing when I began and Photoshop was the only software I had and I remembered seeing people designing stuff with Photoshop and so I stuck. I still haven't used Illustrator. I ve heard Illustrator is good for creating vector graphics and Photoshop is great for UI design. But please do get a professional opinion.
- filvdg 14y agoI Have decent experience with both and even if illustrator would probably be more fit for the job here , Photoshop is easier to master and can be used in more use cases (like manipulating images)
- mathewsanders 14y agoPersonally i would suggest neither. At it's heart, photoshop is a bitmap editor it's original purpose was for manipulating photos various tools have been added with new versions that make it more useful for web design. Illustrator is a vector-based app for creating free-drawn illustrations. Again newer versions have added things like pixel snapping to make it okay for web design (but its better suited for logos, visualization etc). My preference is Fireworks. It's got great exporting tools and I find it a lot faster than working in Photoshop (for web/mobile work). Remember also that design involves a lot of iteration. If you're concerned with efficiency, please get comfortable expressing your ideas with pen and paper - it's the fastest option :)
- shuaib 14y agoThanks for recommending Fireworks. Seems like the right way to go.
- dalore 14y ago
- jkd 14y agowe have help here hackdesign.org I am also in similar position. But have some time to learn. Is it only iPhone app? I am from Bangalore and have android device.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoHello fellow banglorean! initially we plan to roll out an iphone version, andriod will come a few months later.
- endtwist 14y agoI hate to be the negative nancy here, but there is absolutely nothing in this slide deck about learning design. You learned how to use Photoshop and parrot other designs--and that's a fine start--but you absolutely did not learn any design fundamentals.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoBulls-eye with the comment, Learning design takes several years and I am in the process, I see this more like a guide for getting a MVP done. I ve outlined my learning journey.
- eddieroger 14y agoExactly. I got dissuaded at "Font" -- I have known too many designers who jump down my throat over the difference between a font and typeface.
- mattberg 14y agodid anyone else think "Desgin" was a new framework for building mobile apps?
- thebiglebrewski 14y agoyeah
- prabhats 14y agoGreat Post! I am in a process of learning a visual design tool myself. It was great to read a fellow entreprenuer's journey to this hugely hackneyed notion of design.
- udayaprakash19 14y agoglad u liked it :) and best of luck in your endeavor.
- ctbeiser 14y agoA few things that should be noted: "There are only a bunch of fonts that designers use." This really isn't true. There are about a hundred or so that are particularly common that any good designer should be able to recognize on sight, but there's an enormous long tail, many of which are perfectly servicable for specific uses. "Corrections at this stage will generally be minor" Your interface's visual corrections may be minor, but in terms of usability, information architecture, and so forth, if you haven't incorporated results of real testing by this point, you're in for a real suprise. Especially if you're not versed in design and usability literature, you're likely in for either a lot of frustrated users or a lot of reworking. I'll also just point out, while I'm at it, that on your screenshots page, your Facebook icon is next to the word "Twitter," and proximity implies association.
- udayaprakash19 14y agobunch of fonts should more be like "bunch of fonts that they use on a regular basis" and I would like to incorporate your second comment into the slide if it is ok with you. I am making corrections in the app based on usability tests and thanks for pointing out the fb and twitter icons.
- ctbeiser 14y agoI'd say "bunch of fonts that are widely used." Some designers have obscure favorites that they use regularly. If you're really looking for a good grounding in HCI fundamentals, The Design of Everyday Things, The Humane Interface, and, oddly enough, the OS X Human Interface Guidelines are among the best. For type, try "The Elements of Typographic Style," and for a basic, general overview of some concepts you should understand, "The Universal Principles of Design" is, well, not bad.
- pubby 14y agoPlease, be explicit when you say the word "design". It's not a single skill; it's an all encompassing term that means nothing more than the step before creation. Anyway, good for you and nice slides!