#Flinto code handoff full#

This created a vacuum where there were no effective tools that designers could use to experiment and produce interfaces.

Based on some pretty high level Thoughts on Flash, Apple decided to not allow it to be used to publish apps for the iOS platform. A designer could create beautiful interfaces, animate them, and incorporate their work directly into websites. Years ago we had Flash which, despite its shortcomings, was a tool that actually allowed designers to produce products that could ship live. The Market is Saturated with Prototyping Tools Basically, why we are where we are and how that’s actually the right place to be for our bigger vision.

Stepping back a bit, I’d like to offer some insight into our decision-making process. We put all our proceeds into making the tool better, so you’ve purchased a license, or are thinking of doing so, then you’re actually contributing to the development of Flow itself. Throughout all of that, the potential for Flow to be used purely as an animation tool will grow by leaps and bounds. Longer term, we plan to incorporate Interaction Design features, including app layout, user flow and components. The next major version will incorporate developer APIs and services for making dev work smoother. It generates super clean code that can easily be integrated into existing web or iOS projects. The current version of Flow is awesome for UI Animation and code export. However, a closer look reveals that Flow really does translate creative expression into software, and it paints a convincing picture of its future potential. It has to provide the means for easily integrating design output into existing projects – which is more than just spitting out code.įor anyone considering investing their time (and money) into it, Flow the Animation Tool appears to have many competitors and offer features that you can get elsewhere. It has to provide enough power to allow the nuance and detail of creative vision to come alive, while translating that into clean, efficient, trustworthy software. This vision requires a tool that is built equally for designers and for developers. So, we stick to our original vision of realizing a transformative approach to design and development. However, in our opinion, none of them appear solve the hardest problem: accurately communicating creative vision in a way that can become real, expressive, digital products. They all solve some particular pain-point, and with each of their releases we get a bit uneasy.

#Flinto code handoff full#

There are prototyping tools, animation tools, tools that generate full Xcode or Android projects, and tools that allow a developer to inspect and extract the styles from a design. Some very successful tools have arisen in the last few years, many of which challenge what we are doing. This is because what we’re trying to accomplish something big: transforming how creativity gets expressed in any digital format.

From an outsider’s perspective what may not be clear is that it’s actually the foundation for something far more powerful. Flow is an extension of all that.įlow is a tool that lets you import a Sketch design, animate it, and export beautiful software.

Over the last 15 years, I have been developing ways and means for creative individuals to express themselves through software. My background is in Interface Culture and Interactive Arts, and for the majority of my career I’ve had the fortune to work on amazing creative technological projects. I run Flow and, from time to time, another company that produces cutting-edge interactive experiences called Logic&Form.