Reflex: Rethinking Component Design

So is the title of the upcoming 360|Flex presentation on Reflex, a toolkit for Flash developers that has been in the works. The conference in March will finally mark its début:

With the emergence of so many new technologies it is an exciting time to be a developer. Embracing the spirit of advancement, Reflex was created to extend the Flash Platform with a component toolset worthy of its industry. Reinventing the features of Flex for the creative workflow, Reflex enhances the Flash Player (rather than abstracting it) to meet the demands of next generation applications and devices. Come be among the first to see what Reflex can do and learn about its unique architecture, the details of the project, its goals and its future. (session description)

The presentation will begin at 1:00pm on Tuesday, the 9th of March. Right after lunch. Be sure to come early for a good seat.

Programming on Paper

I love starting out a new project. This is the part where I get to sketch on paper for a day or so and really plan out usability and component relationships. I’m just starting out with a new project where I’m in charge of the admin interface for an large web application. It sounds pretty boring? Yeah, it would be if I didn’t take usability seriously, so now it’s a big just a big challenge. And I love design, whether I stink at it or not. My favorite presentations at MAX were the Flash XD (experience design) topics that covered usability and moving graphical interfaces which add to the users experience rather than detract. So I’m sharpening my pencil and hittin’ the paper for the next few days!

There is also a web-based mockup editor by Balsamiq. It’s got its bugs, but works well enough to get the job done. If I weren’t so tied to my paper I might use it. I still recommend checking it out, as it is a cool flash-based design tool complete with undo/redo and free transform.