Comments on: Instaviz

By: Glen Low

Glen Low — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:23:59 +0000

It's been a while but I've implemented Microsoft Visio export. This will be available in the 1.3 version, to be released soon!

http://trac.pixelglow.com/instaviz/ticket/74

The Microsoft Visio VDX format is a particularly difficult one to reproduce correctly. My 60-day trial of Visio expired the day I complete the format conversion!

By: glucero

glucero — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:24:16 +0000

I think that's an excellent idea.

Regards,
Gary A. Lucero

By: Glen Low

Glen Low — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:52:17 +0000

Hmm… point taken. I guess I can do an FAQ section for issues like “how do I print out my graphs?” and so forth, and point them to Graphviz.

By: glucero

glucero — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:48:25 +0000

Glen, I am Gary Lucero, the reviewer.

While the help files that come with Instaviz and are echoed on your web site are a great start, I don't think that graph sketching is obvious to everyone. Some people take to it easily and others don't understand it, which means some people will require additional resources to get started. If you pointed people to other resources that might help them, since it wouldn't require you to write the documentation yourself, it could them feel like you're supporting them.

I did mention Graphviz in the review and was glad to find it. I don't personally own Visio and I don't know if it has an open file format or not, but as someone who is on the Windows platform and would want a way to bring those files into it and maybe print or edit them, I would like to see more than one way to do that. I searched and found Graphviz but again, some people won't find it or figure out a way to access the files on their computers. Some documentation on your site could really help people over that particular hurdle.

Do I think that Instaviz is an easy to use and quality app? Absolutely. But again, not everyone will get it and the more help you can offer, the better.

Regards,
Gary A. Lucero
148apps.com

By: Glen Low

Glen Low — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:28:40 +0000

I should also add: while Instaviz has definite appeal for “software designers and other technical people,” I've really oriented the app toward people who just want to brainstorm, mind-map and put their ideas down on paper. If you're looking for something less sequential than Notes and focus on the connections between things, Instaviz is for you.

By: Glen Low

Glen Low — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:50:55 +0000

Hi, the developer of Instaviz here. Thanks for taking the time and effort to review Instaviz.

I'm not sure what extra documentation you would need. As you've said, since version 1.2 I have help files “in-game” and on the website but the tool itself is “pretty intuitive”. The concept of graph sketching is meant to be pretty straightforward and won't be addressed by third-party “online resources or book on the subject.”

On the other hand, I've crafted a discoverable interface; even my 9 year-old daughter has great fun playing with it. The embedded video features my wife who only had a hour's training with the app before we started shooting.

I'll look into more export options and possibly Microsoft Visio compatibility, which of course depends on Microsoft having published useable specs on the Visio file format.

For now you can use the free tool Graphviz (linked above) which is available on Linux, Mac and Windows to further edit and display the graphs on your desktop. I'm also preparing a graph viewing for the Mac which will display, print and export your graphs from iPhone backups so all you need to do is sync your iPhone and run the app.