What is the best software for doing mobile interaction/UX design for native apps?

What is the best software for doing mobile interaction/UX design for native apps?

I would recommend Lucidchart. It’s really easy to do mock-ups of the following:

1. iOS devices: iPhone and iPad
2. Android devices (drag and drop) shapes and templates
3. Any website (wireframing).

You can also add interaction with “hot spots”, which are basically areas that link to other parts of the mockup (pop-ups, other screens, etc.).

Lucidchart has a free 14 day trial so it’s a low risk program to try, and it is web-based, so you can access your files anytime on any device. It also allows you to collaborate in real-time — more than one designer/developer can be working on the design at the same time. I work for Lucidchart, and we are currently using it to mock up our own mobile apps.

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Infographic: So You Want To Do a Startup

Infographic: So You Want To Do a Startup

Yup, that’s about right. You just finished reading Infographic: So You Want to Do a Startup! Consider leaving a comment!Stuff to check out UX Drinking Game | UX Resume and Career Guide


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Has anyone taken the UX immersive 8 week program at General Assembly in NYC? Did it help you get a job as a UX professional? I’m thinking about taking the class and transitioning from marketing to UX.

Has anyone taken the UX immersive 8 week program at General Assembly in NYC? Did it help you get a job as a UX professional? I'm thinking about taking the class and transitioning from marketing to UX.

Short answer for me is yes it did.

I’ve also taken the UXDi SF immersive class and am currently a User Experience Designer at CloudOn through the apprentice program.

I think the bigger question of whether you should attend is more mixed though.I personally had a good experience from GA’s UXDi program, but I think a lot of it had to do with expectations and effort. I’d figure I could best answer this with my personal experience.

Summary:
I quit my job at a non-profit to do the program, some freelance web-design experience, sales in startups experience, psychology background. Some front end skills. (HTML, CSS, JS)

Expectations:
My expectations for the UXDi program was to help me create a UX focused portfolio, learn the terminology of the UX field, and give me an opportunity to network with designers in the field.

Effort:
I worked my ass off. Day in day out. Occasional all nighters, frequent 12-14 hour days and regular work on the weekends. In this program everything will feel very rushed, and it is very tempting to finish portfolio pieces after the class is finished. I tried my best to finish the pieces throughout the course.

Note: I think Wesley Haines made a good point with ” The curriculum as it stands today is focused on giving you just enough skills to allow you to call yourself a UX Designer.” IMO UX Design is a methodology that helps inform decisions in various facets of the design process. Knowing the methodology alone will likely not get you hired somewhere. Seems pretty crucial to be able to rapid prototype, usability test, wireframe, photoshop, illustrator etc. (at least that’s what a lot of job postings ask for)

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What are the best practices for mobile UX?

What are the best practices for mobile UX?

Fall in love with the pain — no one actually wants to use your app because it’s fun (unless you are a game obviously), so figure out what need you are solving and then relentlessly focus on eliminating that ONE pain.  The only other exception to this is if you have a complex pain or series of pains that naturally fall into a workflow–it might be better to support them all in one app vs. several separate apps.

Take a closer look at apps you respect and use everyday. Integrate award-winning apps into your daily life. Study them and figure out what they are doing that makes them so awesome.  Then apply that learning to your app.

Use pattern sites like Mobile User Interface Patterns, Mobile Patterns, Android Patterns for inspiration and so you are not reinventing the wheel.

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Dogs & Cats: How Product Managers Can Work Better With UX Designers

Dogs & Cats: How Product Managers Can Work Better With UX Designers

Thank you for all those attended this session at Product Camp Seattle 2013. You just finished reading Dogs & Cats: How Product Managers Can Work Better with UX Designers! Consider leaving a comment!Stuff to check out UX Drinking Game | UX Resume and Career Guide


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What are some UX “sins” commonly made by beginner designers that should be avoided?

What are some UX "sins" commonly made by beginner designers that should be avoided?

Here are 5 I have seen:

  • Focusing too heavily on running with solutions without identifying the real problems to solve.

  • Seeing the Designer’s role as one in which they “work for product managers,” instead of “with” them

  • Debating minor visual design details when the big picture is wrong or off.

  • Going for consistency for consistency’s sake.

  • Giving users what they asked for instead of what they need (or letting a Stakeholder do the same) in the name of “research”

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Why I Love User Stories

Why I Love User Stories

While they may not replace high-level product requirement documents in all organizations, they can be used to break those requirements into bite-sized pieces that are easier to digest, understand, and build against.


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