As users of software, we demand constant improvements. As professionals who are involved in the process of making software, we can be more sympathetic to the challenges and tradeoffs that Axure, the company, is facing:
The more features and capabilities Axure supports (adaptive views, advanced interactions, logic, variables, functions, and so on), the more complex the tool becomes. In fact, we already find a demand in the market for specialized Axure prototypes, people who can take Axure to the max and create really powerful vision prototypes. Ironically, freeing ourselves from dependencies on developers and the ability to quickly and easily create an interactive prototype is exactly the goal that Axure sets out to tackle, being a tool for non-developers. So, how can the company balance these two extremes:
Prototypes versus specifications: The demand for high-fidelity vision prototypes is on the rise and is becoming a norm. The turn-around times for such prototypes is shrinking, and they are extremely influential in getting decision makers to give the green light to ambitious development projects. However, turning a vision prototype into a specification—a deliverable that is often contracted for—is most likely to require refactoring. This effort can be substantial and yet, often not planned for, budget or schedule wise. Clearly, there are some challenges around reducing the gap between prototype construction and specification generation. How will Axure try to address this in the future?
The landscape of UX is rapidly changing. Apple, through iPhone and iPad and its ongoing quest to integrate iOS, its mobile operating system, with OS-X, its desktop operating system, is impacting the user experience in profound ways. As a result, the syntax of interaction patterns is evolving. New multifinger gestures are a good example. How will Axure support the creation of prototypes for the next generation of devices?