The word “beta” evokes an emotion somewhere between excitement and nervousness- for both the user and creator. From a user standpoint- it’s not the real thing yet; it’s being tested, so you can never be sure what you’re dealing with. From a creator standpoint- we’re finally here! What will the reaction be? You’ve worked so hard up to this point, and of course you want a positive outcome. The actual launch product depends on the quality of this stage…

We recently launched our brand new app into beta testing. Paprika is our third full app, and we’ve managed to learn a few things along the way. Keep Reading

Even before Paste, we’d been designing sites for a long time. The roots of our company are in paid client work where we often go with our gut-as budget dictates no other option. With our own apps, we finally have the time, budget, and wherewithal to test our assumptions.

Recently we carved some time in our schedule to work on A/B tests for Jumpchart’s sales site. I can honestly say- and it’s me doing the design for most of this, I feel like I just got an education. Keep Reading

We published some updates to the help pages for Jumpchart, and our new app Paprika this week. Keep Reading

In life, there is usually piss on the seat.

But every now and then, you get lucky and things go your way.

In line at Starbucks yesterday, it actually happened to me. (Not the nasty thing, the lucky thing.)

Someone ahead of me paid for my drink. I’ve heard of this happening to other people, but I never thought it would actually happen to me, you know? Keep Reading

We decided to reach out and let our users know how other people are using our products. We talked to Steve Reed, a graphic designer in Las Vegas who uses Jumpchart to plan and build websites for his clients.

How’d You Find It?

A lot of people stumble across Jumpchart, but Steve was actually out looking for a solution- and Jumpchart landed in his lap.

“I was searching for a tool that non-tech-savvy clients could log into, build and manipulate a sitemap, and add simple content- that’s it. I didn’t want to scare them or have to spend time teaching them about some complex system. Jumpchart was exactly the solution I was looking for.” Keep Reading

Page Description Diagrams (PDD’s from now on) are not a new concept. But they’re pretty new to me. From what I’ve been able to source, the idea goes back to Dan Brown (Not the Davinci Code one).

My summary of the idea goes like this: when information architects, clients, account executives, and copy writers plan websites, they struggle to clearly denote the hierarchy that the marketing and architecture dictates without stepping on the designer’s toes. So they spend lots of time making interface wireframes that are either disposed of, or end up limiting the creativity of the design staff. Keep Reading

Paprika, Twitter-style: Use Textile to make notes, tag ‘em, date ‘em, assign ‘em, and share ‘em.

Marco Arment on a competitor:

“I was asked for a comparison via email, and rather than pretend like a competitor doesn’t exist and keep silent about it on my blog, I’m comfortable addressing it (oh no! giving traffic and attention to a competitor!) and clarifying the differences.”

Bravery like this combined with clear-headedness is tough to come by. Read more

I’ll admit: my closet is a disaster.

I know my life would be much easier if I spent an hour straightening it up, but I always find other things to do instead. I’ll pick tasks that take less time, and don’t require so much thought. (WHERE is the absolute best place for these running shorts??) I’m not kidding, that’s how I justify it in my head.

So if you’re anything like me, getting organized is exhausting.

Here’s the catch, though. If you start out organized, then the organization is easy to maintain. But if you’re unlucky enough to be frazzled from the start, straightening everything out takes way more time and effort than it should. And face it, there are better things you should be doing with your time than detangling a web of information… or running shorts. Keep Reading

Overtime leads to heart disease?

If nobody worked at all, it would probably read this way instead: “Too much relaxation and boredom linked to heart disease risk.”

Let’s go this route instead: “If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

It makes no sense to me why everyone wouldn’t strive for this. Find what you love, and do it for a living. Keep Reading