Unfortunately, Apple, the original designer does not use a tablet computer

Note: The English version of this article comes from the connection, on the feedly there is more than 10K Ctr. The Chinese version is compiled by Heaven Zhuhai Branch Rudder.

Apple released last week in San Francisco, using Adobe's products to showcase the Apple Watch and the incremental boost iphone, which were released in conjunction with Hermès. In fact, during the demonstration of the ipad Pro, Apple is using Adobe's latest brainstorming tool to show how designers will be able to make more of this tablet in different ways.

This really sounds like a good way to use this 12.9-inch tablet, unless it's true: 64% of designers don't use software for brainstorming, and they use pens and paper.

Designers use tools to investigate

The above data is one of several groups of data Khoi Vinh this summer through research. (Vinh is a graphic and interactive designer, previously the design director of the New York Times daily, and now Adboe's chief designer) The theme of the "Designer's current tool" is to focus on the designer's preferred tools for the six main design tasks, including brainstorming, wireframes, interface design, prototyping, project management, versioning, and file management.

Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 5.51.09 PM
First, Vinh admits that the investigation is not a strictly scientific investigation. It is only from the curiosity of its own, after all, his job is to create a design tool specifically for the designer. He conducted the research through his own personal and social networks. In the end, he received more than 4,000 feedbacks, most of whom provided feedback from the United States, and some from Europe and the rest of the world. He put the results of the study on his personal blog.

The results of this survey are very enlightening, and it provides some data to illustrate what tools the designer really spends on the time and effort. "If it were a decade ago, Adobe should be the only option," Vinh said. Today, startups and other competitors offering these tools are everywhere. "We've seen a growing number of design tools developed by independent developers," he said. "This field has become a land of hot land. “

In the UX (User experience) design category (Wireframe and interface design), sketch tools from the Bohemian coding team dominate. In the field of project management, Slack defeated Trello,github,basecamp with a slight advantage, and Evernote pulled the jackpot. Most of the respondents said they tended to use html/css for prototyping, and 46% per cent of those surveyed were freelancers. There is also a particularly compelling data: 64% of respondents claim their most important design tools-even now in 2015-are still pens and paper.

Problems with Tablet PC

The research shows that in some specific areas, such as brainstorming, "The software doesn't solve the problem," Vinh said. This is of particular significance to Vinh, as the brainstorming tool used by Apple in its presentation last week was designed and developed by him. The tendency for so many designers to use pens and paper "means that they will feel freer through loose iterations," Vinh continues.

Some designers think that when you want to think fast, no other tool can be more effective than a low-fidelity tool (pen and paper). Ntasha Jen, from the Pentagon's pentagram, says she needs a lot of tools, from books to Pinterrest (visual social networking), to software tools, but the most common thing she uses in meetings is pens and paper. "They are the quickest way I can express some of the things that make it difficult to articulate a visual idea with a verbal description." "she said. "I've lost these drafts after I've run out of them." ”

This feature of a paper form that is very short-lived (and therefore irrelevant) is a key point. Design critic Steven Heller points out that ideas on tablets are not easy to share. "If you need to pass something, such as graffiti, in a meeting, a device will pull you away from that idea," he says. You can imagine someone looking at something on your phone: Your mind is always thinking about when someone will return your phone to you. And a piece of paper torn off your notebook, you're not likely to be thinking about when to bring it back.

The flat space is also a problem. Trello, for example, is designed to simulate a waterfall-like convenience post in the process of brainstorming. But in a real meeting, there will be several people around a large panel and through the Mobile paper sticky note card to share their views and exchange of views. UsTwo team in the design of the Android smart watch dial, you even print out a variety of round square template, and on these templates to paint. "You do need to have a few sheets of paper and we need to get feedback quickly," says Eduardo Oliviera, a member of the project. "Every time you want to get the idea of an idea, paper is flexible enough to handle this situation. I don't see any other software that can be so flexible. “

What tools are available in Vinh's personal toolbox? There are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Comp CC (the Brainstorming tool mentioned above). Given that he is now working for Adobe, it is not surprising that he is using most of Adobe's tools. But he also claimed to be an active user of sketch. As he puts it, in the current market "These are not zero-sum solutions, we can pick and combine the tools that best suit our own." "Finally, if you don't find it – even if you find it – the pen and paper are still a good choice."

Note: More articles please pay attention to the public number: Techgogogo or personal blog http://techgogogo.com. Of course, you are also very welcome to pick up directly (ZHUBAITIAN1).

Unfortunately, Apple, the original designer does not use a tablet computer