“Complex” apps are usually a mess. Look at any Adobe app, or Microsoft app. Most of them (not all) are a catastrophic mess. They look like the drawer in your laundry room. The one where disparate items like flashlights, rulers, sewing kits, giveaway pencils, off-sized screws, and IKEA pieces, and half-used batteries come to rest. Not purposefully lain, but because no force but apathy, and gravity could hope to contain them.

Complex apps “do more.” But they do it at the expense of crashes, and a manual in seven languages. Users use them, they hate them. They’re trapped by some function that no other app has, but that they need.

Take Photoshop for example (please take it!). No other app does RGB/CMYK, and compositing as elegantly. It’s amazing with it’s bezier curve handling and it’s simple yet incredibly powerful layer management. Keep Reading

When do you get your ideas? I mean literally, in the middle of the night? During your work hours? While eating dinner with your family?

My husband snorts at me every time we’re in the car and I turn my purse inside out looking for my notebook. I’m usually in a panic to jot down the idea I just had- but that’s me; if I don’t get it down in a hurry, who knows if I’ll remember it later. (I quite possibly have memory issues…)

My ideas aren’t always directly tied to work- in fact, most of the time, they’re not. (I’m one of those who has to really step away from the monitor a few hours a day.) But if I try, I can steer them in that direction eventually. Keep Reading

Realizing you have nothing original left to say is a heavily depressing emotion- especially when your job depends on your ability to generate content. But don’t worry- a writing marathon could be just what you need to dig up some ideas you didn’t even know you had. Not just for writers, this strenuous exercise applies to… well, everyone who can type who needs to come up with ideas. Keep Reading

“There’s growing evidence to suggest that innovation flourishes when people are given the space to make mistakes…. Why, then don’t we allow, much less encourage, making mistakes?” – Vineet Nayar, The Harvard Business Review.

I couldn’t agree more. Failing is part of life and often leads to some of the greatest discoveries along the way! Plus, it’s a great way to learn. We shouldn’t be afraid to fail; we should get really excited at the opportunity to turn it into a positive.

Now we’re one step closer to what works best.

I have a problem.

I need to learn more about “x” so I can write a solid article about “y.” There’s lots of info online about “x,” plus there’s this really interesting book sitting on my desk that I’m sure I could get a lot out of. The book is calling my name, and I really want to read it. But here’s my problem.

I know it’s weird, but it feels like I’m breaking the rules if I’m away from my computer much during normal work hours. Reading Boagworld, Bobulate, Kottke, or Daring Fireball in the middle of the afternoon feels fine- but the second I pick up a physical book, in my mind, I’m suddenly indulging a guilty pleasure. Keep Reading

We’ve been thinking a lot about Page Description Diagrams lately, and how they might fit into a workflow which frequently interacts with clients. Simply put, we’re fascinated with website planning, and always interested in ways to make Jumpchart better. Keep Reading

If you’ve written, or are writing an article about Paprika, let us know and we’ll send you a $5 iTunes gift card for your effort and interest.

There are just a few terms:

• Any article written after June 22nd, 2010 is eligible.

• If you live somewhere where iTunes doesn’t exist, no worries- we’ll figure something else out.

• We try really hard to produce quality work, and we know you will, too.

• Please note! We’re not paying for good reviews… We’re paying for publicity. We pay all sorts of major blogs and ad networks for exposure. We love all the sites we advertise on, but we think this is a way to micro-advertise. Say something good, say something bad, just say something!

Thanks again everyone- tell us about your article at support@getpaprika.com!

…You’re in a meeting with yourself.

Gina Trapani wrote this article for Fast Company, and we not only agree with what she’s saying, but have been practicing what she’s preaching: integrating defensive scheduling into our own workflow.

Multi-tasking is difficult enough, and when you’re juggling meetings, sporadic conversations, e-mails and all sorts of other emergencies at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to think about your own work. You’re left thinking: “I’ll code that site later,” or “I’ll do browser testing for that app in a little bit.” Worst of all, these aren’t exactly things that can (or should) be stopped halfway through, to be finished later. You can see the quality of your work diminishing right before your eyes… Keep Reading

How do you feel about instant gratification?

I enjoy it personally. It’s like waving a magic wand.

I’m spoiled by my programming co-workers. Sometimes I happen to stumble upon a bug, need an e-mail setting fixed on a server I don’t have access to, or have a question about the CMS we built from scratch; I can’t think of a single time when I’ve had to ask twice because I didn’t get an answer nearly immediately.

But throw clients into the mix, and you have an entirely different ballgame. Keep Reading