UX, build, then design? Ok, I know this sounds crazy – who would build a web/mobile app before graphically designing it? Most teams follow the following model – define feature requirements, wireframe/UX, design, and then build. Let’s explore a slightly different flow where we write code, before we fire up Photoshop. Below are a few [...]
We work with startups every day, and there are lots of trends that tend to surface across all entrepreneurs, no matter how different their personalities may be. One of those trends is passion. With passion comes constant thought, exploration, creativity, and wonder. Usually successful entrepreneurs aren’t passionate about a product, but about a solution to [...]
I program because I love preparation. When I was a woodworker I spent all of my time making jigs. 20 hours of building a jig to hold a board in a perfect, repeatable position. Once you strap in a board, it only takes 10 seconds on the table saw to give you a perfect cut. [...]
As many of you may know, TechCrunch hosted a meetup in Chicago on Friday (11/9). You may have even been there. Hopefully you were. It was free, after all, and there were free drinks to boot… Why wouldn’t you have been there? Well, if you weren’t, here’s a recap. It was held in a big [...]
Whenever we’re building an iOS app, we must decide what version of the operating system to target. As developers, we always want to use the latest and greatest. We want be able to unlock new APIs, new native 3rd party integrations (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), and new native UI controls. But this pull must be balanced [...]
We get this question regularly from clients so I thought I’d take a second to break down the difference between the two efforts, how they complement each other, and shine a little light on our process here at Ora. UX Design UX is short for user experience. In the mobile and web space this acronym [...]
Technology has changed dramatically in recent years. Obviously. The interesting thing is that we have changed along with it. I’m not just talking about our habits and behaviors – we are physically changing at a molecular level. According to researchers at the University of Bonn regarding a recent study (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=internet%20addiction%20chrna4), 132 out of 843 [...]
Today, I concluded my first week at Ora – that means I’ve been here for nearly 2% of a year. As you can probably imagine, that kind of seniority grants me certain privileges; one such privilege is blogging. Yeah, I know, it’s a pretty big deal. We all know that with great power comes [...]
So over the years I’ve had my fair share of experience working with big companies (P&G, HP, BT, McKesson, etc) and tons of startups. At the end of the day, when it comes to delivering a mobile consumer product, their needs tend to not be all that different. Now that may seem ironic – but [...]
On my way back from Hilton Head Island (16 hour drive) this weekend I decided to revisit a book that I feel was extremely ahead of it’s time. This is a book that was published by 37 Signals, Getting Real. I thought I’d write a quick post outlining my appreciation for this. Also, please note [...]