Comments on: Could Adobe Reflow be the future of design apps?

By: Juan Pazos

Juan Pazos — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:07:00 +0000

I think Google Chrome will end up developing a similar approach inside Inspector: you resize the browser window, mark a breakpoint, fix the CSS, and then Inspector gives you the media queries based on the CSS changes made in each breakpoint (if I know how to create Chrome extensions I would have created a tool for that already).
It’s kinda obvious to me that Paul Irish or someone else will develop this, we need it.
BUT, Reflow is different from this in one aspect: reflow give us the possibility of importing designs from apps like Fireworks. I don’t know what workflow would be that exactly. It’s all about the workflow.
And it should be considered that the front end design workflow should be different whether we are making a marketing web site (which is about graphic design, and so it must start on graphic design thinking drag and drop apps, it’s kind of a virtual billboard) or whether we are making front and to a web/mobile app, which is all about function. It has been proven being more efficient starting right on code, right on functionality.
I’m still struggling to figure out the perfect workflow for web design for marketing websites and front-end design for apps. Out software should be chosen (and created) around this ideal workflow. Otherwise, we will always be fighting against our software, instead of thinking about the design itself, the interface/graphic design problem we need to solve.

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:58:00 +0000

I’m actually quite excited about the ability to export code because although I’d never use this for a production site, it would be great to be able to export prototypes that clients can load or we could use for user testing, etc…

By: James Tudsbury

James Tudsbury — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:02:00 +0000

I think this could be a brilliant tool and will really encourage good responsive designs. Hopefully we can build a consensus that using this as an actual website building tool is a bad idea and a misuse of the software, if so I can see designers and developers swapping Reflow docs instead of PSD’s on a day to day basis.

By: Debic

Debic — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:22:00 +0000

I use DW all the time… I’m curious about the “bad” code issue too..

By: Fred Beecher

Fred Beecher — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:53:00 +0000

That’s exactly what I’m hoping for out of this tool. I can’t wait! I’d still use Axure for my regular prototyping, testing, & documentation, but this’d be kick ass for determining breakpoints and seeing responsive behavior before committing to details.

By: mazurka

mazurka — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:25:00 +0000

Dreamweaver doesn’t really output code that won’t work it just doesn’t know how to make the right decisions. It will create more tags than a front-end developer would create to obtain the same effect. It will use positioning instead of a natural flow to layout elements because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t know the intentions of the site and it’s only purpose is to create code that will look exactly like what was created in the WYSIWYG. Much of the code it outputs tends to be superfluous.

By: Thomas Grist

Thomas Grist — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:41:00 +0000

Thanks for the article. I’m a web designer that knows how to code HTML/CSS but not to the point where I could decipher between GOOD and BAD code (which probably means my code is BAD code). So Paul, let me ask you a question. How BAD is the code that Dreamweaver creates? Bad to the point where things don’t work? Or don’t work as well as they could? Is there any suspicion here that those moaning about the quality of the code are just trying to validate their own profession?

By: Ian Moffitt

Ian Moffitt — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:49:00 +0000

I agree with the “any automated tool can produce less than desireable code” point but I think this can instead be used as a tool for quickly prototyping a responsive design, then once the client approves, it can be moved to a developer who can clean it up.

I could see this tool being used for responsive wireframing as well. Just throw some boxes onto the canvas and go stretchy-town with it.

By: Leigh Howells

Leigh Howells — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:23:00 +0000

Exciting! I think this looks perfect at least for producing low/hi fidelity design prototypes. Precisely where you need code to show everything working in the browser, breakpoints and layout switches but not having the time or client commitment for production quality coding. Can’t wait to see this develop and get my hands on it.