Interview with EffectiveUI about Ideate App
Hello Everyone! Welcome back to our common talk section, PadGadget – Apps Interviews. A place where you can find out a bit more about apps and developers. I recently spoke to the folks from EffectiveUI, about their iPad experience, their Ideate app and their future plans. I had the chance to talk to Juan Sanchez, an Experience Architect at EffectiveUI.
PadGadget Question: What are your initial impressions of the iPad as a device from a developer’s perspective? What about from a user’s perspective?
From a development perspective, we had to really understand how the device will be used – how it will be held, handled, etc. When we developed Ideate, EffectiveUI’s sketching application for the iPad, the device wasn’t actually available yet, so we created a mock-up out of wood so that we could really understand the full user experience while we were creating the features and functions of the application. Building the Ideate application was a learning experience, for sure.
From my own perspective, initially I wasn’t sure how the iPad would fit in with the technology I already had – my laptop and iPhone. I hadn’t planned on getting one right away, but ended up buying one because I knew I’d be developing for the device. Also, at home I noticed that I was using my laptop for casual, lightweight activity, which I now do on my iPad. One thing I found interesting is that before, with my laptop, my wife felt like she couldn’t interact with me because my laptop screen was up and acted as a sort of barrier. Now with my iPad, she feels like it’s OK to talk to me while I’m doing casual work.
PadGadget Question: Can you tell us about EffectiveUI? Would like to hear how EffectiveUI was established and what drives your company vision.
EffectiveUI is a full-service user experience (UX) agency with offices in Denver, Rochester, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in the custom design and development of Web, mobile, desktop and touch-enabled applications. Anthony Franco co-founded EffectiveUI in 2005 in the basement of his home in Loveland, Colorado, as a successful development shop. Because he understood the value of creating more meaningful Web, mobile and desktop interactions, Anthony began focusing his attention — and company direction — on UX. He found his niche in leveraging emerging technologies to create more compelling, and engaging immersive customer experiences across all platforms.
PadGadget Question: What sparked your interest to develop for the iPad? Did you see anything in your customers that helped you make that decision?
The concept of Ideate was actually created based on what we do at EffectiveUI – designing and developing user interfaces. We use paper sketchpads to keep track of our ideas as we visualize user interfaces for our clients. In order to share these sketches, though, I would have to scan the hard copies, e-mail them to myself and then distribute them among the team. EffectiveUI senior software developer Jonathan Branam and I thought it would be great to create an application that took the paper step out of the process and make it easier for us to share ideas with each other.
The cool thing about it is because it’s digital, you can update it much more quickly. We set up a Flickr group where people can easily create and upload or download new templates. It’s interactive and always changing, evolving. This isn’t possible with a paper sketchbook; we’d have to print new versions with templates that couldn’t be easily changed. Once it’s printed, it’s set in stone.
PadGadget Question: Your Ideate app is targeted to creative people. What was your experience while developing it?
While Ideate is clearly a great tool for creative-types, as we developed the application, we discovered a number of different use cases that would benefit from the same application. We built design templates and clip graphics for physicians, coaches, landscape architects, teachers, fashion designers and more. Because it’s digital, we can make it work for anyone. We look at it as more of a communication tool versus an artistic platform. The application is providing the opportunity for people – anyone – to articulate and share the thoughts in their minds.
One really fun aspect was creating the wooden prototype, as I mentioned before. It was interesting to put it in front of people and see how they were interacting with something new and different to them. We observed basic interactions, like how far people’s thumbs could reach, how they held the device, etc., and then we were able to incorporate their actions and reactions into the actual application. Once we had the device, it was great to be able to make quick iterations to the app as we got feedback from users via the App Store.
PadGadget Question: Now that the iPad has been well received by the market, any new plans for EffectiveUI? Any new apps or ideas we’ll see from EffectiveUI?
We’re constantly making updates and improvements to Ideate and will be adding new features in the upcoming versions that will make it easier for people to work together and share their ideas. We’ve also been approached by a number of clients to create iPad-specific applications or make adjustments to their current mobile apps to make them work effectively within the iPad environment.
One thing we’re emphasizing with our clients, though, is that it’s important for companies to understand what their goals are for having an iPad application. Everyone wants to be on the iPad, but you have to think about how users are actually using the device, and make sure that the content/activity that you provide is relevant, useful and fits with users’ mindsets as they’re using the iPad.
PadGadget Question: Before we let you go, do you have any other thoughts you’d like to share?
I’m personally really excited to see how things evolve as adoption of the iPad moves forward. It will be interesting to see how device-to-device communications change – not just iPad-to-iPad, but iPad-to-iPhone, iPad-to-laptop, etc. There’s a Scrabble app out right now that is a great example of this; your iPad serves as the game board while your iPhone serves as your letter tray.
Category: iPad News
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