1. Adapting Expectations to Fit a
Mobile Workflow
Presented by Joseph Labrecque
D2W Conference – July 15th 2011 – Kansas City, MO

2. Introduction
Joseph Labrecque, MA
Senior Interactive Software Engineer
University of Denver – CTL
Fractured Vision Media, LLC
Adobe Community Professional
Adobe Education Leader
Flash Development for
Android Cookbook

3. What we’ll be talking about
• Background
– Platforms
– Tooling
• Expectations
– Adjust them
• Workflow
– Planning
– Design
– Development
– Testing
• Publication

4. Starting out…
• Mobile can be a pain!
• Mobile is also
addictive and FUN!

5. A plethora of devices
Mobile Devices!
• Smartphone OS
– iOS
– Android
– Windows Phone 7
– WebOS
• Tablet OS
– iOS
– Android
– Tablet OS (QNX)
– WebOS

6. Advancements in platforms
• Web Browsers
• JavaScript Engines
• JavaScript Frameworks
• Flash Player
• Adobe AIR
• Native (Obj-C, C#, Java)

7. Advancements in Flash / AIR
• Open Screen Project
• Adobe AIR
– AIR for Android
– AIR for iOS
– AIR for Tablet OS
– AIR for ???
• Flash Player
– Android and QNX

8. Advancements in tooling
• Flash Professional CS5.5
– iOS
– Android
– Project linkages
• Flash Builder 4.5
– Mobile Flex Projects!!!
– iOS
– Android
– Tablet OS

9. Web apps are lacking (on mobile)
• Tiny controls on 160-320 PPI
screens
• Video generally not optimized
for mobile
• No Flash Player on iOS
– (thanks, Steve)
• Need a directed cross-
platform app solution

10. Let’s have a look…
(desktop)

11. Expectations
• Existing content
– Let’s get it on mobile
– Hmmm…
• New content
– What does it need to do
– How do we do it
– Hmmm…

12. Adapting expectations
• Fingers… and touch…
– We need big buttons
– New interactions
• Small screens
– This won’t fit
– Will it fit now?
• Slow processors
– Think 7 years ago
• Time to change your
thinking

13. Let’s have a look…
(mobile)

14. Workflow matters!
• Decisions and Planning around
restrictions
• Distill your Ideas!
• Designing for Touch
• Designing for Gestures
• Designing for Movement
• Develop for Directness
• Release and Test often and
everywhere

15. Planning
• Realistic
• Directed
• Tear-Down
• Usability

16. Design: How?
• Fingers
• Gestures
• Obviousness
• Platform-awareness

17. Design: What?
• Flash Catalyst
• Fireworks
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Flash Builder (really)

18. Development
• Multiplatform
– Simulators
– Media Queries
– Flex Libraries
• Lots of new concepts
when dealing with
mobile

19. Simulators
• Take advantage of
Flash Builder simulator
• Stay away from the
Android emulator
• Device Central can
also be useful

20. Application Scaling
• applicationDPI can be set in the app root tag
– 160 x1
– 240 x1.5
– 320 x2
• Dependent upon the correct DPI report from the
device on runtime to function correctly…

21. Media Queries
@media (os-platform: “Android”) {}
CSS
@media (os-platform: “QNX”) {}
@media (os-platform: “IOS”) {}
@media (application-dpi: 160) {}
@media (application-dpi: 240) {}
@media (application-dpi: 320) {}
Just like “standard” CSS ;)

22. Flex Libraries
• Share “core” project code
across Flex Libraries
• Use targeted application
logic which wraps the core
• Export release builds
specific to each target
platform

23. Let’s have a look…
(code)

24. Testing!!!
• Android is an excellent
test platform I can help!
• Test on device
• Test a lot
• Get friends to test
• Get your parents to test

25. Releases
• Android Market
• Amazon AppStore
• BlackBerry AppWorld
• iTunes App Store
• Who’s next???
– Hi, Sony!!!

26. In conclusion
• Mobile requires a certain directed approach that is
not required with desktop application development.
• Mobile takes a lot more planning than what you may
be used to…
• Mobile takes a lot more testing than what you may be
used to…
• Mobile users still expect everything to work flawlessly
on whatever random device they may be using.
• A good workflow can help in all these areas!

27. Contact me
Email:
Joseph.Labrecque@du.edu
Web:
http://josephlabrecque.com/
Twitter:
@JosephLabrecque

28. Thanks!
• Catch me at these upcoming events…
– Adobe Summer Institute ”Building a Functional Flex
Mobile Application for Android in Less Than an Hour”
– COLTT “Mobile computing in a ‘Post-PC’ era… right?”
+ Café Pédagogique “Does your institution need a
mobile app? Probably not.”
– Adobe MAX “From Desktop to Mobile: Application
Functionality for Small Screens”
+ FITC Unconference @ MAX “UX Concerns across
Mobile Platforms”