My Must-Have OSX Apps for UX/UI Designers and Developers

Some people think I’m just a photographer, others think I’m a web developer, some think I mainly work as a designer and others haven't got a clue of what I do for a living. In the past 6 years I did all my best to improve each single perk without leaving not a single one behind.

My work is my passion, and it couldn’t be otherwise. I spent the last year finding a technological nirvana, working hard to identify a seamless workflow pattern that could help me improve drastically my productivity trough devices, apps and websites. One of my main tasks was being able to free myself from the slavery of being in front of a pc monitor the whole day, this made me become an iPad/iPhone power user, but many tasks were not achievable on my faithful iDevices.

Lately I've been working a lot on User Experience and front-end web development. By doing so I tried all sorts of Apps and utilities to better achieve my goals in the most efficient way as possible. But it takes time to achieve efficiency. I want to help you speed up your quest for efficiency by highlighting you, what I reckon, the MUST-HAVE OSX apps for UX/UI Designers and developers.

Apps

Google Chrome: for Internet browsing and testing. Mastering the Chrome DevTools will make you a web developer rockstar in no time. 

DropBox: for backup and shared file storage. Since I switch my workstation many times during the week, a shared folder environment with a secure cloud backup makes me work faster and eradicates the fear of loosing my project files.

Google Drive: for backup and online document editing. Since I use Scrum as a Software project managament workflow I need to keep my weekly sprints and project backlogs updated and shared with my team to assure constant updates.

Sparrow: as my default email client. It seamlessly syncs with my Gmail Account. But I'm waiting for the Mac version of Mailbox.

Things: for task management. One of my favorite apps of all time. I use it to manage all my work and personal related project in to actionable task using the Getting Things Done method.

Trello Board: for team collaboration. Trello keeps track of every aspect of my projects and helps me update with my team. I sometimes apply the Kanban method for better performances on complex projects.

Evernote: for general reference gathering and storage. It syncs with my iDevices and now also with my Evernote Moleskine. I never loose a note.

Adobe Creative Suite: for virtually doing anything creative. Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign. Without it, I would be lost.

Coda 2: for coding. Coda 2 comes with: an improved editor with code folding, auto completion and workflow improvements, new tabs and sidebar UI changes, Git support, a full file browser, improved clips (code snippets), changes to CSS editing, live code hints and a full-blown GUI for MySQL management.

SublimeText 2: for quick coding. I use SublimeText 2 when I need to quickly fix or edit code snippets. Smart, quick and efficient.

Espresso 2: for CSS editing. With it's wonderful WYSIWYG editor for Css, Espresso 2 boosts my front-end development productivity to the maximum.

Transmit: for FTP file transfer. Transmit makes my days easier with an intuitive interface and a clear ftp management.

1Password: for password storage. With hundreds of Social Networks, credit card credentials, ftp addresses and back-office logins, 1Passwords has become one of the first App I install on a new terminal. A true gem.

Balsamiq: for general wireframing. A no-brainer app I use when I need to enhance my hand drawn website sketches.

ByWord: for text editing. Markdown syntax has become my most reliable form of text formatting. ByWord helps me focus on my writing with it's minimal yet functional interface.

Sketch: for website and app design. A new addition to my toolbox, Sketch is a is a professional vector graphics app aimed at graphic designers developed especially for UI designers.

Briefs: for interactive iOS prototypes generation. A new addition, Briefs is an iOS prototyping tool for professionals. It comes with a standalone Mac app that allows you to build and test live prototypes, and a free Briefscase iOS app that lets you test prototypes directly on your iPhone and iPad.

DayOne: for your personal journal management. DayOne can be used as an honest and personal Dev log to review in the future.

OmniGraffle: for diagramming, charting, and general visualization. I mainly use it to create complex UMLs.

Mindnode: for mind mapping. Mindnode can be used to create site-maps on the go during brainstorms.

Skype: for instant messaging and conference calls. Even though I prefer to limit availability to three precise moments during the day.

Utilities

GuideGuide: for making grids directly in Photoshop.

Uber Layer: for overlaying jpg layouts to Htmls during Css editing making your designs pixel proof.

Adobe Inspect: for cross browser testing. Adobe Inspects makes you preview & inspect web designs on your devices.

Page Layers: for layered website screenshots. It converts web pages to Photoshop files with separate layers for all page elements. 

CssHat: to instantly turn Photoshop layer styles to CSS3.

Slicy: for Photoshop slicing. Slicy exports layer groups independently, giving you total freedom to move, overlap or even hide design elements. 

QuickCal: for quick agenda management.

f.lux: to save yourself for going blind. Is your computer keeping you up late? f.lux is free software that warms up your computer display at night, to match your indoor lighting.

ImageOptim: for image optimization. By finding best compression parameters, ImageOptim optimizes images so they take up less disk space and load faster.

CloudApp: to quickly share screenshots and files with auto-generated links.

Kuler: for creating and picking colors and palettes.

DevRocket: to quickly create and export iOs UI elements.

Instashare: to seamlessly beam files from Mac to iPhone/iPad and vice versa.

Parallels: for running Windows Apps. You could ignore it, but you eventually need to try your web project on Internet Explorer.

Way Out is an escape route. It's goal is to achieve constant inspiration and create truly meaningful things. See this post as a small digital tool-set to start planning your escape as I planned mine.

What is inspiration?

You need to ask yourself that. I did, and discovered something. I like the being constantly being inspired, sensing that I'm always doing something worthwile. I need to know that what’s achieved by my actions excites and thrills me, every single day.

At some point of our life, we felt pervaded by a powerful force that moved us with extreme violence towards a specific task. A force that we couldn't ignore, and had to embrace fully. At some point of our life, we've all felt inspired.

Feeling inspired for me now, is like feeling the same emotions I felt as a kid on Christmas day. I always woke up early full of energy, ready to enjoy the special day, knowing that there were only actions to love doing and only great feelings and joys to experience. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. It was magical. And my imagination could not have any bonds. (In fact I still love Christmas time and I still react in the same childish way).

But, now, just like at Christmas, if you couldn't open those parcels and couldn't search for what you were looking for, your excitement would run off.

As on Christmas day, life is the same. You won't be able to explore all of the opportunities to complete great projects because you're not actively searching for them.

As a kid you were used to have a one-track mind, focusing only on what you desired the most. Once you had a purpose, a goal, nothing could stop you reaching it.

That motivation, is the foundation of inspiration. Once you get excited, as when you were a kid, you will never find insurmountable walls on your way to achieve your dreams and goals.

Find again that energy, and use it as a tool to get things done.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

— Jack London

Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine: How I started sketch noting again

I drew a lot as a kid, and I mean, a LOT. But since I became a Designer, my visual muscles suffered an intense mass loss.

As a technology enthusiast I ditched my notebook and pen for shiny iPads and expensive Apps like Paper.

Recently, while note taking on my iPad or iPhone, I felt alienated. I was frustrated by the highly detailed, text-only notes that left no space to emotions or personal thoughts. Meetings and conferences became a source of stress, since I had to capture every single detail. I was obsessed with details.

Last week I gave up. I took some time to think. Relaxed a bit and decided to go back to the basics.

Note taking made me focus on capturing big ideas. To write and draw made the activity fun and enjoyable. Concepts, ideas, thoughts, emotions were captured with drawings and type blended together by creativity. Since your mind and body are acting together, you are able to recall more of what you hear and draw. Kids draw constantly to express ideas, and guess what? You were a kid too once.

Drawing an idea can often take just a fraction of time needed to describe the same idea in verbal detail.

To help me get back in to practice and to soothe the stress of going back to analogue I bought myself the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine.

I started using again Evernote only recently. Before today I couldn't seem to find a place for the service in my workflow.

Buy once I applied the GTD method to Evernote, suddenly, magic happened. To achieve the GTD structure in Evernote, I created five notebooks: 1. Inbox 2. Active Projects 3. Backburners 4. Archive 5. References

I now use Evernote to store literally everything. Business cards, phone numbers, restaurant menus, sketches, references, etc... It has become the ultimate digital Archive folder in my daily workflow.

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine perfectly fits it's purpose. It turns your written ideas and sketches into digital notes. The Evernote Page Camera works with the specially designed pages of this book, and with the included Smart Stickers, to make everything searchable and shareable.

Though pricey for a Moleskine, the notebook comes with a free 3 months subscription to Evernote Premium (value: 15€) allowing you to boost your monthly uploads to 1GB each month, offline notebooks (wonderful for the ones that like me travel a lot) and an enhanced PDF & document search.

Thumos

“There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive. This ecstasy, this forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter; and it came to Buck, leading the pack, sounding the old wolf-cry, straining after the food that was alive and that fled swiftly before him through the moonlight. He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move.”

— Jack London, The Call of the Wild

How to write a Travel Journal

When I first started to take photographs during my travels I soon realized it was wise to keep a travel journal. Emotions, non-framed events, further details went missing if I didn't religiously update my journal at least once a day.

But what's the best way to write a Travel Journal? I tried different approaches to this task. I decided to keep a separated journal for each destination. When I had some spare time, usually while commuting from a place to an other, or in the evening right before going to sleep. In time it has worked best to keep the journal private and the entries short. By doing so, once "home" I could browse through my notes, edit them and share them online with a related photograph.

I discovered that by keeping the journal private, I could be truly honest about my day and feelings, adding great value to my entries. By reading my journals now I can learn more about my actual life and myself.

Writing short entries helped my focus my attention of what was really relevant. Write a series of short sentences similar to Tweets.

What to write

Be present, focus on the details, break the boundaries and look further. Write about your emotions, what you photographed, why did you photograph a particular object, who did you meet? How did he/she make you feel? What caught your eye? Why? Write about new tastes, sounds, smells...

Describe more than what your eyes see. Draw if you want! Before starting to write, stop a moment and meditate about the day. Meditation can unlock your best writing ideas.

"Don’t just write that a market is “bustling.” Describe the vendors vying for your attention, the noises, the smells, and the people who jostle against you. Avoid vague adjectives, and look for specific details that define a place’s character."

– Dave Fox

Make it a daily habit; don't just confine journaling during travels. As an iPhone and iPad power-user I use an app called DayOne. Most of my entries are written here now. And when I forget to write something new, the App sends me a notification, inviting me to create a new entry. It's a wonderful sensation to take some time and reflect on your life by reading a personal journal. Start today, life is a beautiful thing, if you can remember it.

“Everything is an idea for something, something that touches the imagination, a fact that seems relevant or maybe just a statement I find interesting — either because it resonates or because I disagree. All of it is fodder for continued work or thinking on the topics. It’s also important to me to record the ideas that my instincts tell me are bad.”

— Elizabeth Spiers

Less is more - The Pareto principle

The Pareto principle, also known as the 80–20 rule, states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. The principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population; he developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.

By applyng this principle to focus only on those tasks that contribute the majority of benefit in sinergy with the Parkinson's law (work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion) to limit the amount of actual time spent working, you'll be amazed by efficiency and effectiveness of work you'll be able to achieve.

More generally, the Pareto Principle is the observation (not law) that most things in life are not distributed evenly. It can mean all of the following things:

• 20% of the input creates 80% of the result
• 20% of the workers produce 80% of the result
• 20% of the customers create 80% of the revenue
• 20% of the bugs cause 80% of the crashes
• 20% of the features cause 80% of the usage

And on and on…

The key point is that most things in life (effort, reward, output) are not distributed evenly – some contribute more than others. The Pareto Principle helps you realize that the majority of results come from a minority of inputs. By knowing what theese inputs are you'll be albe to focus on them and achieve more. Remember that the Pareto Principle is an observation, not a law of nature. When you are seeking top quality, you need all 100%.

Smart travel tips to become the Ultimate Weekender

In case you didn't notice by now, I simply love travelling. I travel as much as I can and in the past years I can firmly say that I've become a pretty awesome Weekender. Getting away for a long weekend recharges my batteries and as I said before fuels my creativity. But while being a spontaneous traveller has its advantages, be sure to do your homework and follow a few simple tips.

Plan ahead: Narrow down your destination main hotspots. I usually try to write down on my Moleskine the places I want to see or activities I want to do the most once there. I embrace the time constraints and do some research on the web. If I don't have enough time I ask my Virtual Assistant (http://www.brickworkindia.com/) to look for reviews on the highlighted venues I share with him. Another great tool are the Louis Vuitton’s City Guides. I recently discovered them to find the hottest spas, restaurants and nightclubs everywhere around the world.

Bring a pair of comfortable yet stylish shoes: Invest as much time as possible in the quest of finding the best pair of shoes for your trip. I like to travel classy, without compromising comfort. Stonefly, Clarks and Deichmann provide a large variety of fine quality shoes. I suggest you to buy a dark genuine leather brown pair of loafers (during Spring or Summer) or a pair of classic formal shoes that will always look well even in your favourite travel jeans.

Day-to-night jeans: Most checked bag limits are under 22 kilograms. For this reason you'll want to save as much space as possible and wear a pair of jeans you'll use the most. I found an elegant, yet comfortable pair of Guess Denims that pair well with a basic t-shirt for commutation comfort or with a fancy blazer for a night out.

Pack early: Have you ever noticed that for some reason your stuff will always take up more space on the way home? Try to overcome this issue by packing early and leave only the most vital things on the top layer. If you like me decide to take, every time you travel, advantage of the exchange rate and revamp your entire season wardrobe, this tip will be vital!

Travel soft: I hate rolling suitcases. I invested in a nice waterproof leather green and brown carry-on bag by Marbloro Classics. Soft bags have a lot of perks; they’ll stretch to fit your stuff, and you’ll have less trouble squeezing it into a crowded overhead compartment during your flight.

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion.
What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now.
That is precious indeed.
The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now,
the most precious thing there is.”

— Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now, 1997

BookBook wallet for iPhone 5 by Twelve South

Following up my recent post regarding the pro's of using a slim wallet, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Twelve South's upgrade to it's popular BookBook wallet/case for iPhone. Now taller, thinner and designed to fit perfectly with the iPhone 5.

This extravagant iPhone case resembles a vintage book cover and includes the functionality of a basic wallet.

The book-like cover is made of solid genuine leather. As Twelve South suggests, the more scratches it has the better it will look. This is so true, the more I use the wallet the better it looks. My iPhone 5 survived a two-meter drop with not even a dent making me understand that this case is here to stay.

The only downside I've encountered so far was that at first the front flap didn't stay shut when lying flat on a table. This was only because it was still in mint condition, after three weeks of intense usage the issue has completely vanished.

At first, using the iPhone 5 while in the BookBook feels slightly strange. If you think about it for a moment, you're actually holding a oddly looking old book. You'll tend to use either the iPhone in one hand, gripping the right side of the iPhone in the BookBook or holding it as a priest reading his daily prayers. This felt slightly awkward in the beginning, but I got used to it overtime. And now I love it.

If you make calls using your iPhone without earplugs on, you'll look a bit stupid, since you'll seem to be talking at a book pressed on your face. Remember to fold the front cover all the way to the back cover to avoid weird looks.

The BookBook provides a nice firm grip to the iPhone, drastically improving typing and general usage in vertical and landscape position.

Despite my first thoughts, taking photos is not an issue since the case does not get in the way of the camera.

Most people will say that the case will not make a true wallet replacement, but in my case it did. My most important cards and some cash seamlessly fit all together with my iPhone. I just hope I don't get robbed.

If you love vintage stuff, Apple products and receiving weird looks, the iPhone 5 BookBook is the case for you. Go and buy it now!

Egypt - Down the Nile

During 2010 New Years Eve, I travelled for a week in Egypt. I decided that the best way to experience it’s historical wonders was to go down the Nile with one of the famous cruise boats that navigate it’s waters. I wanted to highlight for you the main cities and temples you can’t miss while there.

Cairo

Cairo, the Egyptian capital, with about 20 million inhabitants, is the largest city in Africa. Erected on the banks of the Nile, about 20 km south from the point where the river divides into two main arms, Cairo is characterized by great contrasts. This green valley that emerges in the middle of the immense Sahara desert will fascinate you. At any time of the day and from anywhere in the city, you can see the domes of many mosques, the tall buildings, broad avenues and beautiful gardens: let's not forget, that El Cairo was once described as the capital of the world.

Giza

The pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, lying at their feet, were considered, in ancient times, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Placed on a platform of sand, the pyramids offer a wonderful and impressive view. Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu a narrow corridor leads to a large room called "the King's chamber" where if you’re adventurous enough, you can find a granite sarcophagus and try to understand what went trough the minds of the slaves that built the structure. The giant statue of 20 meters high and 70 deep of the Sphinx, representing the body of a lion with a human face, is the most colossal statue that was ever carved by man.

Sakkara

Located at a distance of 27 km from Cairo, Sakkara is one of the most interesting attractions of Egypt. Once on it's lands stood the ancient city of Memphis, the capital of the white walls of the old Egyptian kingdom, and it was in this vast necropolis that the famous Step Pyramid of Sakkara was built about 60 m high, structured in layers with rectangular blocks of pure limestone. You feel immediately week once you start thinking that it was built about 5000 years ago with only man's wits and arms.

Luxor

Located about 600 km south of Cairo, Luxor occupies part of Thebes, the capital of the ancient Egyptian Empire. Amenhotep III in devotion to the divine couple Ammon and Mut and their son Khonsu, the God of the Moon, built the temple of Luxor, which lies at the heart of the city. The main feature of this temple is its colossal columns in the shape of lotus flowers. Not far away, walking along the Nile you'll Karnak, the largest temple of the god Amun, where you can admire the remains of a temple complex of exceptional beauty.

Esna

In the center of the city stands the temple dedicated to the god Khnum, characterized by his ram's head. Khnum was the God who created humans and animals, modeling them from the clay of the Nile. It is considered a rare example of greek-roman architecture.

Kom Ombo

Built on a hill 15 meters high above the Nile, Kom Ombo is the temple dedicated to Sobek, the Crocodile God and Haroeris, the hawk-headed God. The walls of the temple are decorated with astonishing reliefs and paintings. From the terraces you can enjoy a beautiful view of the landscape of the Nile.

Edfu

Located on the left bank of the Nile, Edfu is the largest and the oldest of the Ptolemaic temples dedicated to the god Horus, the falcon-headed God. The temple, brought to light by Marriette, is considered one of the best preserved of all Egypt. The construction, which began in 23 BC, was completed only in 57 A.D. The decorations of the temple are exclusively religious-mythological.

Philae

The temple, dedicated to the worship of Isis, was once erected on the island of Philae, but now moved on the nearby island of Agikia at about 500m away, thanks to a massive operation conducted by Italian technicians. In 1902, the British completed the Aswan Low Dam on the Nile River. This threatened many ancient landmarks, including the temple complex of Philae, with being submerged. The dam was heightened twice, from 1907–12 and from 1929–34, and the island of Philae was nearly always flooded. It was postulated that the temples be relocated, piece by piece, to nearby islands, such as Bigeh or Elephantine. However, the temples' foundations and other architectural supporting structures were strengthened instead. Although the buildings were physically secure, the island's attractive vegetation and the colors of the temples' reliefs were washed away. Also, the bricks of the Philae temples soon became encrusted with silt and other debris carried by the Nile. The view from the temple is probably one of the best views I enjoyed in my entire life.

Aswan

Since ancient times, Aswan was the natural center of trade in Africa. Today the city is a well-known winter resort due to its dry climate and clear air. Not for nothing, even Aga Khan had a villa here and a mausoleum in a spot where you can enjoy a wonderful view over the city and the dam.

Abu Simbel

With only a 20-minute flight from Aswan, you can reach the village of Abu Simbel on the banks of Lake Nasser, on the border with Sudan Wadi Halfa. Here, thanks to the intervention of U.N.E.S.C.O. and of superhuman efforts lasted six years, the two mind-blowing temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari, have been rebuilt stone by stone, safe from the waters of the Nile. When viewing the majesty of the temple of the Kings with its two 20m high giant stone statues you magically revive the atmosphere of ancient Egyptian civilization. It's truly a wonder, it feels like walking in a time warp, and it leaves you simply breathless. Smaller but no less beautiful Temple of Queen Nefertari dedicated to the goddess Hathor, whose facade is decorated by gigantic statues of the queen and her husband.

Ancient Egypt is a land of great wonder. Some of the most fantastic architectural achievements in human history can be found within its borders. Their architectural and engineering skills were so great that a large number of these monuments have withstood the test of time and can still be seen today, thousands of years after being constructed. Be sure to add Egypt to your bucket list, it’s history, it’s landscapes together with it’s rich and colorful culture make this nation a must-see, with no excuses.

Review: Mailbox App

It has been a while since a "great" new iPhone App lands on my home screen. I was starting to think that the creativity juice of iOS developers was all ended and that I would have been stuck with the same old apps that didn't upgrade my productivity with brand new innovation. But all of a sudden, from the mist came out Mailbox App.

Mailbox is close to my dream app for email management. If you, like me, embrace the GTD method and used to treat your email Inbox as a messy landing port for "maybe" actionable emails, Mailbox will rock your world and will make you a true email Ninja.

Before Mailbox I used to ensure myself to not leave work unless my Inbox was empty. Many times the reason an email is waiting in our inbox is only because there is an action required in order to process it. To hack this system I moved the task required in the email in my to-do app (Cultured Code Things) and just then decide whether it was due today or another day of the week. The milestone was to get the task out of my inbox.

Mailbox reduces the time spent in managing your to-do list with just a few swipes and let's you reach the legendary Inbox Zero more than once a day.

Want to archive an email? Just swipe to the right, removing it from view. Want to delete some spam? Just swipe a bit longer to the right. Put it off until tomorrow. Or this weekend. Or someday, by simply swiping to the left. A longer swipe to the left will allow you to archive your email in a specific list.

In my case, with the default "Later", "Archive" and the "Inbox" folder I have 5 separated lists by adding a "To reference" and a "to Delegate" folder.

And voilà! Inbox zero. Daily.

My colleagues and clients know very well that I read emails just three times a day (9.30 am, 1.30 pm and 6.00 pm).

I do this to focus on my active projects providing a better service and keeping sane by not being overwhelmed by information and requests.

Now, with Mailbox, I'm able to enhance even more my email management workflow by forcing me to open, review and dispose each email immediately.

I just hope they upgrade the app with a few new features, such as like Email Alias support, Gmail custom lists integration and Html signatures.

You'll wonder how you ever lived without it once you experience the sense of achievement viewing the Inbox Zero screen. It's a true gem in modern task management.

Download Mailbox ASAP, it' free on the App Store.