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ADOBE'S CREATIVE CLOUD- CORE COMPONENTS

Description

 

With the initial launch of the "Creative Cloud", Adobe moved from a perpetual to a term licensing model. While it would take some time to be able to deliver constant value and improvements on a new monthly cadence, we wanted to immediately add additional value to the subscriber base.

With this in mind, we quickly created five touch apps (Collage, Debut, 

Ideas, Proto, and Photoshop Touch) for the iPad and, later, the iPhone.

My Role

 

My role within a highly aggressive timeline was to create and maintain a cohesive experience across the apps in several key areas, including:

  • Navigation of Creative Cloud data. 

  • Layer/artboard selection from within a .psd or .ai file.

  • Color picker

  • Google, Flickr, and local search. 

  • Determinant and indeterminate progress indicators.

  • Sign in and account creation.  

  • In-app purchases.

This was accomplished by creating core components, which were then leveraged for reuse across all five apps. This freed the individual product designers to concentrate on adding unique value based on their particular users' goals.

As one of the first common components from both a UI and a code view, the color picker was a cross-team effort involving a half-dozen collaborators, each bringing their own product needs and domain expertise to bear.

To the right, we have the HSB view of the color picker, with (A) showing the current color in the color chip, and the previous color history is accessible via a swipe gesture (B)

There is an affordance to the left of the current color showing the previously set color (if the displayed color is not the most recent, the "next" color would be afforded to the right).

 

This same paradigm could be extended to brush shape, size, or other properties.

Another aspect of our mobile application initiative was working with the newly formed Bangalore India team. I partnered with a designer in this office on the design of Adobe Proto (a precursor to Adobe Comp), providing general feedback and collaborating on the gestural shortcuts used as part of its key value proposition.

Impact

Within less than six months, we were able to consistently release five touch applications (this for a company that had never shipped a product in less than a year). We had learned to work together differently, which allowed us to provide value to our customers more agilely.

Media Quotes:

"The gesture and shape conversion was particularly impressive" - PCWorld

"Adobe's Touch Apps sure look sweet" - Android Central

"Together, these apps create a compelling case for integrating an Android tablet into your creative workflow." - PC World

"We've been quite enamored with Adobe's demos of iPad / Photoshop interactivity for some time" - Engadget

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