What *non* design software do you use?

[suedenem]

Ok, so we have a thread about your flavour of design software, but what about software not part of the main design/dev cycle?

What do you use for IA, wireframing and prototyping?  What about other aspects of what you do?

I have Excel and Word open more often than Photoshop these days, preparing various marketing reports and writing proposals.  Freemind is a good (cheap ) tool for basic IA and mind mapping.

[rutty]

I've started to use XMind for mind-mapping though have meant to give Freemind a go. Looks a really good way of setting out ideas.

I've also used Netlogo for a bit of modeling, but I guess this won't be much use to many people. I've used both of these for my OU studies, but I guess they may be useful to web devs

[Jem]

Pencil and paper.

I know, I'm so old school.

[Dom]

Pencil and paper.

I know, I'm so old school.

This.

I remember at university, when one of our lecturers wanted us to design something or other (a website probably) and the first thing I did was whip out a pencil and paper. He nearly had an orgasm. He even stopped the class, and held up the paper I'd scribbled on, like it was some kind of deity. Good job he didn't actually look at the designs; he'd have had a stroke or something.

[robwhizz]

at university ... whip out a pencil and paper... held up the paper ... kind of deity.

He was just amazed you had money left to buy pencils and paper and hadn't spent your entire student loan on a Vauxhall Nova, 18 inch alloys and Nitros kit like the rest of the class.

[Dom]

Oh it's alright, I robbed the paper from the stationary cupboard before the lecture. We also used to steal toilet rolls from the loos as well. We'd have a competition to see who could steal the most, which i won of course. They were the massive industrial-sized loo rolls though, not the piddley Andrex-sized ones, so I could only fit one and a half in my bag. Still, one roll lasted for about two weeks, so we saved actual pennies on our shopping.

[robwhizz]

I could only fit one and a half in my bag.

Did you saw it in half?

[SAMMo_0]

I could only fit one and a half in my bag.

Did you saw it in half?

Off topic:
Maybe he just had one epic sh1t there and then to use up enough to fit the rest in the bag.

On topic:
Whiteboard. Much more freestyle than pencil and paper cos you can walk around while doing it. (plus the pens smell amayzin)

[Dom]

Well, I could fit a whole, unused one in, and then I had to find one that had been half used and then I could fit that in too. I didn't have to be the one that half-used it, mind you. Also, the half that I put in the bag wasn't the half that had been used, just to be clear.


Also, on topic, the whiteboard idea is great. I've got a couple of them with little cloud diagrams and flowcharts on, and they're really useful, as well as fairly cheap and reusable, of course.

[robwhizz]

I used to have a whiteboard in my old office, but I haven't got the space for one now. Probably for the best. Started off very useful, but then I started drawing on it and my children would nag me all the time to draw things for them, so it never got used for it's intended purpose.

At work we produce DVDs for clients. They come from a recorder that puts menus and stuff on that we need to strip out, so ISO Buster and DVD Shrink are my tools of choice.

Smart Draw is great for knocking up quick scale drawings.

Cobian Backup sorts out all of my back up needs.

[Dom]

Smart Draw is great for knocking up quick scale drawings.

Yeah I use this at work all the time. It's great for creating flowcharts and database ERD's, although the version I've got (2007) is a tad buggy.

[familychoice]

I've now moved them to another dedicated machine but had a ton of music making things such as Ableton Live, Reason and all that malarkey on here. Music and recording is a major hobby of mine.

Apart from the usual design and development stuff and Office bits the only other software on this one is my new Sony Movie Studio and Sound Forge gubbins. I'm looking to upgrade my digital art software at some point, so Painter might make an appearance when I can afford it and maybe some new 3D kit.

I did use a load of other gubbins but I'm trying to keep this new PC less cluttered.

Like others have said above, my prototyping and wireframing tend to be done using pen and paper. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the PC.

[Dom]

I've now moved them to another dedicated machine but had a ton of music making things such as Ableton Live, Reason and all that malarkey on here. Music and recording is a major hobby of mine.

I played with Reason 3 for a little while actually. What with all the pots and pans music I listen to, it made sense for me to try and actually make some, although I opened it up, saw how complicated it was, and then closed it down again. I'd like to give it a proper go at some point, so do you have any good sites with tutorials for beginners at all?

[robwhizz]

Painter might make an appearance when I can afford it

I tried painter when I got my first Wacom tablet about 12 or so years ago. It was very, very good. Lovely natural feel to it, but I never bothered to learn to use it properly. It was quicker and easier to use Photoshop, which I knew well.
Didn't realise Painter was still going.

[familychoice]

I played with Reason 3 for a little while actually. What with all the pots and pans music I listen to, it made sense for me to try and actually make some, although I opened it up, saw how complicated it was, and then closed it down again. I'd like to give it a proper go at some point, so do you have any good sites with tutorials for beginners at all?

The help files are pretty good that come with it, but I think I bought a Computer Music Magazine special. It's worth persevering with it's a very powerful bit of kit. I use it for building up drum loops and synth parts, which are then exported into Live for smothering with dreams. The sound bank it comes with has some amazingly realistic orchestral patches too.

I tried painter when I got my first Wacom tablet about 12 or so years ago. It was very, very good. Lovely natural feel to it, but I never bothered to learn to use it properly. It was quicker and easier to use Photoshop, which I knew well.
Didn't realise Painter was still going.

Yeah up to version 11 now I think.

I usually use Photoshop for 'painting', and I've got a ropey old copy of Painter that I use for arty splodging, but the new version might mean I can do the whole thing in Painter.