Before my current incarnation as a UX Architect I was a Flash developer. I spent five years coding all kind of games, sites, and apps, and gradually progressed from simple bits of script to full-on applications and fully abstracted object-oriented code.
My day job now is focused on less technical work like research and wireframes, but I think during those years of coding I learnt some interesting concepts that I’ve carried through to this new role.
I recently wireframed a few simple online art activities for children which involve adding shapes to a canvas, animating a simple figure, making a postcard and so on. None of the activities are very complicated, but as we discussed time estimates and functionality my old developer habits started kicking in.
I found I’ve been thinking about how I’d go about building these apps, which led on to thinking about how that affects the how I wireframe things. As I did so, I found some interesting parallels and insights – so I thought I’d share them here.
