When designing desktop apps, websites, and mobile applications, more than once I have tried using an application like mockingbird or Pencil Project. On one hand, mockingbird, is a web application that can be accessed from any browser and allows you to design multiple pages with different elements. On the other hand, Pencil Project, initially born as a Firefox extension, now has a multiplatform desktop application that allows you to mockup easily.
The drawback I see on these two applications is that for some reason, I always end up making simple mockups with a simple pen and paper. This way I can organize my ideas faster than using these applications. I guess the main reason for this is that I’m not a designer, so to me it is the same doing a shitty design in paper, than a shitty design with an application. Moreover, usually using a computer app for this task I end up spending more time to do the same…
Anyway, the other day I discovered Wireframe.cc, and the truth is that I was quite impressed by the UI. It is super-easy and fast to use. You just drag the mouse while clicking and voila, you have an item of the size of your selection. You click on the type of item you want and you are done with the item. Even if you want to change attributes, you just have to double click on it, and select the attributes you want to change.
Actually, it is the first time I feel that I do not waste my time doing mockups with an application of this kind. From what I’ve seen, this application is starting, and it still lacks of some functionalities and needs some polishment, but I suppose that those will be added in the future. Even I think this lack of complexity and lack of tons of box types is what makes you go faster.
I think choosing the right tool for a job is a matter of personal preferences and personal needs, but I would recommend trying wireframe.cc and taking a look at the other apps I pointed out at the beginning of the post.
Feel free to share any other tool you find useful in the comments 😉
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18/11/2010 at 1:20 am Permalink
Hi, I think I might have the same problem for my implementation. I am integrating uploadify into wordpress, and when try and upload a file I get http:403 and io error #2038. Would that be because wordpress cookies have not been send with the data? I see you use wordpress for your website, have you tryed implementing uplodify (or similar progress bar for uploads) on wordpress?
24/11/2010 at 4:44 pm Permalink
I never tried uploadify on wordpress I’m sorry.
25/03/2011 at 10:33 am Permalink
Hello , the session variables I am using are supposed to be secure like user ids and what not so I dont want to send it using script data. This looks like a good alternative but my question is Wouldnt this be a bi security issue by letting the client side see these session ids and names. My problem is that I dont want people to hijack my site and upload millions of photos to someones account on my website
10/06/2011 at 11:15 am Permalink
@Dom:
The PHP session variable is sent as a HTTP header anyway, so it’s not actually a secret. However, the session data is stored on your server. Session hijacking involves stealing another client’s session ID, and is not an issue in this case, as the session ID is sent from your client.
09/09/2011 at 3:29 am Permalink
This does not work because uploadify does not let you set GET variables in the script parameter;
var php_session_name=””;
var php_session_id=””;
jQuery(“#uploader”).uploadify({
‘script’: ‘/upload.php&’ + php_session_name + ‘=’ + php_session_id
});
When uploadify.swf makes it’s ajax call, it removes the GET variables and they never end up server side. How am I supposed to be passing the session vars to uploadify so that it will use them as GET vars when it uploads?
13/09/2011 at 8:24 pm Permalink
i usually use framwork jquery ajax, to upload progress…. but it’s very easy…