justin ziccardi

justin ziccardi

product, apps, CyclesHQ.com Joined about 9 years ago

  • 1 story
  • 8 comments
  • 18 upvotes
  • Posted to AMA: Sawyer and Skylar from Oak / Makers of Dropmark, Siteleaf, and Symbolset, Jul 06, 2016

    Just wanted to say thanks for Siteleaf V2 - it helped me overcome my biggest Jekyll hurdle (self-hosting overhead, local or server) and allowed me to ditch WordPress as my CMS of choice.

    Also, three years later, Pizza Compass remains one of my favorite mobile app concepts. ;)

    0 points
  • Posted to Ask DN: Simple Design Annotation Tool for Websites ?, Jun 28, 2016

    You say websites and "screenshots," and there are different tools for both.

    For screenshots/mockups, I think the best option is (surprise) Dropbox.

    Their newer productivity features should work really well for screenshots / mockups and have everything you could want w/o a paid plan: Annotations, replies, notifications, comment resolution, and versions.

    If you're looking for website/HTML prototype annotations, TrackDuck, UserSnap, BugHerd, all might work for you, though they are primarily focused on bug capture (not quite design collaboration).

    Hell, I'm even close to finishing my own tool, Cycles, but it's focused on designer/client vs designer/designer and crowd-sourced feedback.

    3 points
  • Posted to Paste 2 – The New Way to Copy & Paste for Mac, in reply to Dmitry Obukhov , Jun 28, 2016

    Just wanted to say thanks for making one of my favorite apps!

    I've used a few clipboard history tools, but I really like how PasteV2 handles images and colors.

    As for minor feedback: While I haven't had a need for Pinboards, I have looked for a way to make a smart Pinboard for my previously clipboard'd color values or images copied from a particular app (vs searching for them, which works too).

    0 points
  • Posted to Paste Beta 2: Clipboard history manager for your Mac, in reply to Erik Bue , Feb 16, 2016

    2NZTF3 Thanks! I previously used Alfred's clipboard manager, but love Paste's image clipboard and plain-text-paste features.

    1 point
  • Posted to Show DN: Sketch2UI - Wireframe to UI Design Service, Dec 21, 2015

    I'm a little bummed at the negative comments so far, because I believe the idea could be valuable to entrepreneurs, designer-less startups, "MVP" products, or anyone who can't afford a full blown design project. I'd encourage you to see them as feedback on how you communicated the idea vs the idea itself.

    Sure, the landing page (with portfolio issues already mentioned) don't inspire much confidence, and I wouldn't hire this particular iteration of the service either...BUT, If I'm a mobile app developer or something and have an idea for 3-5 screen mobile app, what are my options?

    What's between the $X,000 decision to recruit and hire a contract designer and the $X0 option of buying a template / or learning a UI framework. Maybe a variant of your service sits between.

    So, a few random ideas/comments:

    • If you're focusing on Web and Mobile UI, is "per screen" the way to charge? How do flows (registration, login) work with multiple states and combinations?
    • What do you do when you receive bad or contradictory wireframes? Will these customers be happy when you deliver inadequate screens?
    • What about further productizing the service, so a customer provides a design brief and a few wireframes, you'll create a style guide or style tiles?
    • Maybe look at a few designer job posts on Upwork.com or similar for inspiration in how to position your service, and who the customers could be.
    0 points
  • Posted to Let's talk about InVision... and alternatives., in reply to Alejandro Dorantes , Sep 18, 2015

    Hehe. Get PUMPED for mockup annotations in WordPress. :)

    0 points
  • Posted to Let's talk about InVision... and alternatives., in reply to Jeremy Santy , Sep 18, 2015

    Hey, I'm making that! Thanks for mentioning, Jeremy.

    I've used (and loved) Invision/redpen/other design collaboration tools on various projects through the years, and they work especially well with large groups of designers on major web/mobile apps.

    However, these tools are bloated/overkill for those smaller web developers/designers (not really the DN crowd?) building 5-10 page sites, usually with WordPress.

    In fact, for this group, the primary benefit of using an annotation/feedback tool isn't better design (although that happens), but better project communication.

    Visual feedback and sign-off can be a godsend when contractors and clients operate in different time zones, have different perspectives (designer vs sales) or language/cultures (non-native English).

    As a WordPress plugin, clients hardly notice the tool and focus on reviewing the design and providing feedback/approval. That means:

    • No 3rd party services, to avoid confused clients asking "Who's RedPen?" The link looks something like (dev.CLIENTSITE.com/mockupsForReview/)
    • No Accounts required, so clients just follow a link, enter the project password, and write feedback. No email/email verification or other friction.
    • Self Hosted, for privacy or security (or if you don't want mockups leaving your intranet)

    I'm launching a new version/Beta next week if anyone's interested. Feedback appreciated as always! http://getcycles.io/beta/

    0 points
  • Posted to 7 things I’ve learned about designing iPhone apps, Jun 11, 2015

    So often do I remind myself about points #5 (screens should have distinct, primary purpose) and #6 (use conventions, especially those provided by apple, don't reinvent the wheel) that I write and re-write post-it reminders all over my desk and monitor.

    Great to see an article that validates my workspace decoration hobby.

    1 point
Load more comments