Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
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Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#2jMockups is an HTML5-based web app that lets you create and share high fidelity website mockups. A lot of folks use Photoshop to do this, but Photoshop is hard to use, lacks common HTML elements, and makes it non-trivial to share your designs and get feedback. Long term I want jMockups to be not just a tool for designing your site, but a tool that helps you design it well (including built in grid systems, an extensive widget library, etc).
This is my fourth web app, the other three being Domain Pigeon (launched Jan 09 [1]), HNTrends (launched Sept 09 [2]), and Preceden (launched Jan 10 [3]). Being a developer more than a designer, I spent an endless amount of time designing each of them, which is one of the major reasons I created jMockups.
Check it out and let me know how I can make it better--it's something that I hope you can all use with your sites as well.
[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456471
[2] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=810112
[3] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1114834
PS: Make sure you check out the demo.
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#3Another mockup app? Oh, well. But jMockups is nicely done.
Personally I'd like a feature to export to PDF and/or PPT and a print-view (which automatically takes care of the PDF-export).
The Popup-Controls are well-done, but I'd like to use cmd-c an cmd-v to duplicate instead. Images should be upload-able.
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#4Another mockup app? Oh, well. But jMockups is nicely done. Personally I'd like a feature to export to PDF and/or PPT and a print-view (which automatically takes care of the PDF-export). The Popup-Controls are well-done, but I'd like to use cmd-c an cmd-v to duplicate instead. Images should be upload-able.
Most other mockup apps focus on creating low-fidelity (sketched) mockups, whereas jMockups focuses on creating ones that look like the real thing. It fits somewhere between Balsamiq and Photoshop.
I hear you on the Copy/Paste. I want to make it so that it works across browser tabs, which is a bit tricky, so I put it off until after the launch. Thanks for the feedback.
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#5Very nice technology. But I think you've chosen the wrong domain. I don't think there's a big (or even small) market in doing "pixel-perfect mockups". We have Photoshop for that, which (frankly) provides better tools than yours.
I would take the technology (which looks great) and search for a better field to apply it to.
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#6Another mockup app? Oh, well. But jMockups is nicely done. Personally I'd like a feature to export to PDF and/or PPT and a print-view (which automatically takes care of the PDF-export). The Popup-Controls are well-done, but I'd like to use cmd-c an cmd-v to duplicate instead. Images should be upload-able.
Most other mockup apps focus on creating low-fidelity (sketched) mockups, whereas jMockups focuses on creating ones that look like the real thing. It fits somewhere between Balsamiq and Photoshop. I hear you on the Copy/Paste. I want to make it so that it works across browser tabs, which is a bit tricky, so I put it off until after the launch. Thanks for the feedback.
The question is: is there a space to be filled between Photoshop and Balsamiq?
In fact, there is one, it's detailed wireframes. It's not pixed-perfect html mockups, sorry. I think you've chosen a market that doesn't exist here, I can't imagine anyone actually using this in their work.
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most other mockup apps focus on creating low-fidelity (sketched) mockups, whereas jMockups focuses on creating ones that look like the real thing. It fits somewhere between Balsamiq and Photoshop. I hear you on the Copy/Paste. I want to make it so that it works across browser tabs, which is a bit tricky, so I put it off until after the launch. Thanks for the feedback.
The question is: is there a space to be filled between Photoshop and Balsamiq? In fact, there is one, it's detailed wireframes. It's not pixed-perfect html mockups, sorry. I think you've chosen a market that doesn't exist here, I can't imagine anyone actually using this in their work.
I don't mean somewhere between low fidelity and high fidelity (medium fidelity?). I mean taking the best of Balsamiq (easy to use) and the best of Photoshop (high fidelity) and combining them into one powerful, easy to use web app.
You and I have discussed detailed wireframes via email, and that's not the direction I want to go with this. If it helps, compare it to Photoshop in terms of its ability to create and share mockups. What key features does Photoshop have that jMockups currently doesn't?
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
The question is: is there a space to be filled between Photoshop and Balsamiq? In fact, there is one, it's detailed wireframes. It's not pixed-perfect html mockups, sorry. I think you've chosen a market that doesn't exist here, I can't imagine anyone actually using this in their work.
I don't mean somewhere between low fidelity and high fidelity (medium fidelity?). I mean taking the best of Balsamiq (easy to use) and the best of Photoshop (high fidelity) and combining them into one powerful, easy to use web app. You and I have discussed detailed wireframes via email, and that's not the direction I want to go with this. If it helps, compare it to Photoshop in terms of its ability to create and shar…
In Photoshop I can make something look good, I don't get the feeling that I can do that in jmockups. No layers, no visual design (buttons, logos, ...). I really don't understand where this would fit into a workflow, I'm trying to but I don't get it...
Are you trying to replace Photoshop for web design? Can I design a good-looking button with the app? (I didn't see how to.) Can I design a logo? (I didn't see how to). Can I design a repeating background pattern? (etc.)
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't mean somewhere between low fidelity and high fidelity (medium fidelity?). I mean taking the best of Balsamiq (easy to use) and the best of Photoshop (high fidelity) and combining them into one powerful, easy to use web app. You and I have discussed detailed wireframes via email, and that's not the direction I want to go with this. If it helps, compare it to Photoshop in terms of its ability to create and shar…
In Photoshop I can make something look good, I don't get the feeling that I can do that in jmockups. No layers, no visual design (buttons, logos, ...). I really don't understand where this would fit into a workflow, I'm trying to but I don't get it... Are you trying to replace Photoshop for web design? Can I design a good-looking button with the app? (I didn't see how to.) Can I design a logo? (I didn't see how to).…
Are you trying to replace Photoshop for web design?
Somewhat, yes.
Can you make a good looking button? Not as good as Photoshop, yet, but that's definitely on the todo list.
Can you design a logo? No, and no plans for it. You can design your logo in Photoshop or Illustrator and import it into jMockups though.
Can I design a repeating background pattern? No, and no plans for it, other than gradients. But again, you will be able to add the repeating background to your mockup in the future.
You're still going to have to use Photoshop for graphic-intensive tasks. But for designing a site, most people don't need 99% of what Photoshop offers (you might need more because you're a professional wireframer).
Re: Review my Startup: jMockups - A Better Way to Web Design
#10I agree that this market simply doesn't exist, and never will.
The site and technology looks nice however. You should use what you've wrote, plus your skills, and quickly transition this application into a drop in designer replacement for some existing, popular application who's designer sucks. Believe me, there are plenty of candidates; they may be buried behind firewalls, or in niche industries, but they exist. I know, I've made a living doing this.
You need a new Ask HN thread, soliciting members to expose you to an application they use every day, which could use a new kick-ass design tool. It may even be some propitiatory small-run, expensive-license product, but if you can get access to it, and show that your designer can be a huge productivity enhancer, you could sell it to the vendor for some good money plus consulting.