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Our Short and Mid-Term Feature Roadmap

· Posted by Peldi in Company · 27 Comments

Hi there, I've written bits of this enough times now that I thought a little blog post about it would be in order.

Here's what we're working on RIGHT NOW:

  • The components feature. STATUS: we are going to release the first big step of it ("double click to enter groups to edit their contents") in the next release, in a week or so. The plan is to ship the full feature in July.
  • The projects feature. STATUS: we are hammering out the details of the feature as part of myBalsamiq. The plan is to bring them to the Desktop in the fall, after the dust settles. In the meantime, the next release will include a little pulldown menu to help you manage many mockups at once.
  • The web app. STATUS: we are completing a full redesign and hope to put it on production in a few days. After the current beta users tell us they love it, we'll expand the beta a bit more and take it from there. The plan is to ship it...I'd say in July, but I've been so wrong before so I'll say "when it's ready".

Here's what we plan on working on THIS SUMMER:

  • balsamiq.com redesign - our website is showing its age. We'll make it more navigable, more useful and yes, prettier.
  • a new skin or two for Mockups - see point #5 here.
  • exploring Mockups for the iPad - yes, we have a few ideas on how to "do it right". Stay tuned on this blog / on Twitter for details later this summer. Here's our iPad thread on GetSatisfaction if you have any input on this.

Here's what we plan on working on THIS FALL. These are somewhat hazy right now, but just to give you a vague idea:

  • bringing projects to the Desktop
  • Desktop / myBalsamiq sync
  • shipping the iPad app (or at least a beta)
  • myBalsamiq APIs
  • RTL language support (I looked into it a bit and it's still SO HARD to do in Flex, sorry)

So these are are our top priorities for the months to come.

We'll also continue to fix bugs, improve performance and add little features here and there with every release, OF COURSE! 🙂

Onward!

Peldi for the Balsamiq Team

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Comments (27)

  1. How is it possible that there is no Android version yet, with AIR already having a presence on that platform? Would be a perfect tool for our Android tablets equipped with Wacom digitizers. Surely the business is there for taking? While we’re waiting, I see some Indian developers already trying to fill the gap, since Balsamiq is apparently not interested in playing.

    Daniel R
  2. +1 for android.

  3. One more vote for Mockups for Android. Just like another person wrote earlier
    ” I currently use Balsamiq Desktop and would like to be able to work on designs when I’m away from my computer”.
    Android tablets are cheaper than Windows8 devices, so it would be very nice to have Mockups available.

  4. I’d also like to +1 for Android. I currently use Balsamiq Desktop and would like to be able to work on designs when I’m away from my computer…without having to buy an iAnything.

    Michael
  5. +1 for android

  6. +1 for android. Big Balsamic user: desktop & confluence. Tried another wire frame tool that works on honeycomb (mockups.me) that claimed Balsamic compatibility but too many problems.

    Kevin R.
  7. +1 on the android side. We use both the tablets and phones – not Ipads etc. Inside team meetings, Balsamiq on an android tablet would be so useful. The new Lenovo one even has an integrated pen.

    With AIR support on the platform, might it be an easy thing to try even for a beta?

  8. I just boaught a tablet and had to go with Windows7 based due to Balsamiq and Silverlight needs.

    To be honest, if Balsamiq supported Android i would probably have gone with that platform.

    Murray Eaton
  9. I would like to see an android version of balsamiq mockups. Android already has adobe air support. I own an HTC flyer (gingerbread)

    richard saunders
  10. With all the great new features planned for a fall [fingers crossed] released, have you thought about combining all the possible “mobile” templates into one category like “iPhone” but called “mobile”?

    Also, I would hope to see an easier way to import/export projects from desktop to mobile device without the use of a 3rd party. I think being able to roundtrip from desktop to mobile [device to device] to continue working on a project would be great!

    Other than that I really love, LOVE, L-O-V-E your product(s)!!!

    [Peldi: hi Efren. Yes I am considering adding Android elements to the iPhone tab and renaming it “Mobile”. It will happen soon. As for exporting to a mobile-friendly prototype, let me think about it]

  11. Any development for iPad app?

    [Peldi: we’re focused on myBalsamiq right now, but the iPad comes next. Marco’s already doing some exploration…]

  12. I just got an iPad and one of the things I was worried about was if there was an app for doing mockups – especially knowing it can’t support flash. Glad to hear that there is one in the works. I am also glad to hear that plans for an Android app as well.

  13. Add 1 more on the plea list.

    Hopefully there’s a little more interest in the port to android as more honeycomb tablets are coming this year. I have just got a galaxy tab 10.1 myself and thought that balsamiq existed as an android app long ago as the adobe tools already exist.

  14. Another plea for an Android version, specifically for Honeycomb tablets. I’m a UX designer who uses a Xoom and this would be a HUGE boon for my work! Please?

  15. Seeing as the Balsamiq is already running on AIR, it is a shame that the push to android has been trumped by an iPad port seeing as they already have Omnigraffle. I would have loved to have this for an android tablet. Quite a big shame.

  16. Keith, no plans at present for an Android version.

  17. Any news on Android?

  18. > The plan is to ship the full feature in July.

    So it’s August. Any updates on the Components timing?

    [Peldi: Hi Micah, we’re making progress, but the feature is not ready yet. I hope you’ll be able to hang in there for a few more weeks]

  19. Good luck with all the new features. The software is kick ass awesome. It’s great to know you guys won’t settle for just that.

  20. Hi Peldi,

    I recently discovered Mockups and had the pleasure of using the Desktop version for a slew of UI mockups for a current project. It’s indispensable!

    In your post, you mention that RTL support is still too hard to achieve in Flex. Have you considered the new Text Layout Framework? I’ve seen some demos even with Chinese fonts that are vertical and it’s pretty awesome. (BTW, TLF can be used with Flex 4.0 and Flex 3.2.) I don’t personally have a need for RTL support but I thought I would point this out in case it slipped your radar.

    Keep-up the good work! It’s so interesting reading about the whole Balsamiq experience.

    [Peldi: Hi Stefan. The TLF is exactly what I looked into the other day…the demos are great, but the real-world usage looks to be pretty involved. I haven’t found an easy way to incorporate text fields that use TLF with version 3.5 of the Flex framework, which is what we’re using. If you have any resources, I’m all ears! peldi@balsamiq.com]

  21. Thanks, I should have spotted that!

    andi*pandi
  22. Any chance of a keyboard shortcut for zoom in/out? command spacebar a la photoshop? It’s a real time waste currently. I really appreciate that you can drag-copy items with the option key held down.

    Also there is a bug that in the desktop version, if you are zoomed out and trying to select a large area, after you release it unselects the items you just selected.

    Thanks!

    [Peldi: Try CTRL+-, CTRL++, CTRL+1 and CTRL+0 for zoom (see the View menu for what they mean). As for the bug, I cannot make it happen. Does it happen in 1.7.16? http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockups/download to update. If you have steps to reproduce it, can you please add a report here? http://community.balsamiq.com – thanks!]

    andi*pandi
  23. Android is more interesting to me than iPad/iPhone. I think Apple’s big brother position on flash is a joke… you should be on board with that thinking seeing as you made a great software product with Flex. Unless you are jumping out of the “micro ISV” category, I think you should stick with one technology and do it well. A objective-C codebase will only confuse your struggling update schedule more.

    [Peldi: thanks for the feedback Dave. This topic is too long for blog comments, but email me if you’d like to chat more about it!]

  24. Hi
    Just to nitpick, could you use real urls to link to other posts in your blog ?
    I’m not sure 3 month from now the url shortener will point to the right place…

    [Peldi: thanks, I’ll fix it right now]

  25. With Android already set to support AIR apps this fall, have you considered tweaking the current AIR-based app for touch interface? Seems like this is lower hanging fruit than building an entirely new iPad app.

    [Peldi: Hi Colin. I think we’ll wait and see…so far we haven’t gotten very much demand at all for an Android version of Mockups]

  26. mybalsamiq apis? tasty!

    Writeable apis right? =)

    [Peldi: of course Adam, sure! 🙂 You’ve just signed yourself up for our API advisory board! 🙂 ]

  27. What about adding things from mockupstogo to the top section of the desktop app? I hate having to copy and paste things into my project

    [Peldi: that’s part of the components feature, check it out]