Altia is shipping the first version of a user interface design toolkit aimed at helping graphic artists create interactive mockups of device interfaces, without help from programmers. PhotoProto 1.0 works as a PhotoShop plug-in, and targets concept demonstrations, usability testing, requirements capture, and… team/customer feedback generation, the company says.

PhotoProto users begin by creating user interface mockups in PhotoShop, on either Mac or PC hosts. The mockups are built using PhotoShop's Layer and Layer Group features, and are named according to specific conventions.

PhotoProto lets designers create interactive UI demos without help from programmers

The PhotoProto software, which is written in JavaScript, is then run. It parses the PhotoShop file, creating a simulated, interactive interface from the mockup. At this stage, the simulation can be used to get feedback, test usability, or to communicate requirements to programming teams, Altia says.

Alternatively, the simulation can be exported as XML/PNG files to Altia's “Design” program, a rapid UI development platform said to be capable of generating native Linux code suitable for embedded devices. Altia added XML import to Design about a year ago.

Altia says its customers include many large auto makers and military equipment manufacturers.

 
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