Richard Lord gave an excellent demo of his Flint Particles project last evening at the London Flash Platform Users Group (LFPUG). If you’re like me, (more designer than developer), don’t be alarmed by the number of files in the download.
Just place the “org” folder inside your Flash AS repository (on your desktop?!) and show Flash where all the code lives (File > Publish Settings > Settings (next to Actionscript Version) > ClassPath: target your files). If you need help, please see Lee Brimelow’s tutorial on using custom classes.
There’s something mesmerizing about mutual gravity (where the particles are attracted to each other – watch for the intertwining dance). BTW – wouldn’t this make a great mobile screen saver?!
A new issue of Before & After Magazine just arrived, and even though I’ve been a regular subscriber for the last (dare I say) 15 years! I am delighted to see the .PDF and open it straight away. John McWade is, in my book, THE Pioneer of great design tutorials – which are a perfect blend of design thinking and technical know-how.
Although the magazine maintains somewhat of a print focus — the design principles hold true whether you paint with ink or pixels. If you’re a computer designer in the 21st Century, you really shouldn’t be without this wonderful resource. Now back to my new issue…
The Samsung F480 is one of the few things that really made me smile. It just works so well. Small enough to fit in your palm, yet large enough for touch interaction. In particular, I liked the way the device responded to user input, menu transitions, and home screen widgets. Another design take-away is that touch interactions work best when I get three kinds of feedback: visual, audio, and vibration. Turn any of these feedback items off and the experience is dramatically diminished. I first noticed this while on public transport, when I silenced the LG Viewty.
Speaking of LG there were two new devices that were kind of interesting: the KF510 with it’s LCD touch pad and another device that had a thumbwheel on the left side for one-handed touch screen operation. Both devices were a little clumsy to use. But I liked the amorphous d-pad because the UI changed depending on context – quite interesting for hardware to be able to morph and adapt.Another touch screen UI that I particularly liked belongs to the Samsung F700 (picured below). I liked the blue banding as a navigation device and the sliding keyboard for text entry.
Even better was the branded Dolce and Gabbana phone that one of the Samsung people pulled from his pocket. It looked just like the Armani device below with the camel colored banding and credit card form factor. This one seems like the perfect accessory for the power lunch in Milan or Rome.
In sum, I’m still in the market for a new touch screen phone and am debating between the iPhone, the Xperia, and the F480. All three would be fun to own. The iPhone is my current favorite because I like the idea of having my iTunes and movies in the same device. But Apple hasn’t integrated Adobe Flash into the device yet — a must before I can commit to the hefty price tag and 18 month service plan. So I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer before all devices come to market with the features I need and the user experience I want.
Liz Myers is a Senior UI/UX Designer with 15 years experience in software development for desktop, web-based, and mobile applications. Currently, Liz is working on mobile publishing projects and tutorials. Stay tuned...!
