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Exploring Rives Potential

Recently, I stumbled upon something that brought back a wave of nostalgia. A well-known studio, 2Advanced, which made some of the most iconic Flash-based websites of the early 2000s, rebuilt one of their old sites using Rive. Seeing this rebuild sparked my curiosity. Flash was once a tool that allowed designers to craft entire, interactive experiences on the web, not just simple animations. With the web having shifted to responsive design, clean layouts, and minimal animations, Rive seems like a modern version of what Flash could do—but better suited for today’s internet.

Now, I’m asking myself, Could we build entire rich media websites using Rive, in the same way we once did with Flash? There are plenty of tools for web animations, but what excites me about Rive is the possibility of creating immersive, dynamic experiences that could define a website’s entire design, not just enhance it. Before diving in, though, there are several key questions I need to answer. I’m inviting you to explore these questions with me as I determine whether Rive is the tool for building rich, media-heavy websites that go beyond basic animations.

  1. Embedding Rive (.riv) Files

First up, how do we embed a .riv file into our website? Rive offers a specialised format that allows for highly interactive and engaging animations, but embedding it properly and ensuring it integrates seamlessly with other elements of a site is crucial. Thankfully, Rive provides a JavaScript library that simplifies the embedding process. But as we push the boundaries of what’s possible, I’m curious to see how this holds up in more complex builds that go beyond a simple animation.

  1. Controlling the Size of the Canvas

With Rive, how do we control the size of the canvas for different devices? For desktop sites, the canvas can be large, allowing for an immersive experience. But what happens on mobile? The challenge will be making sure these rich media experiences translate across various screen sizes without losing their impact. While Flash was mostly confined to fixed sizes, Rive offers more flexibility—but how far can we stretch that?

  1. Can We Build a Fully Responsive Experience?

Responsive design is the backbone of modern web development. So, the question is, can we build a fully responsive website entirely in Rive? I’m not talking about just scaling animations, but making sure the entire experience adjusts seamlessly based on the device it’s viewed on. This involves controlling everything from layouts to interactive elements and making sure they work fluidly across all screen sizes, without needing multiple builds.

  1. Efficient Content Preloading

Rich media often comes with performance concerns, and Rive is no exception. How do we preload content in the most efficient way possible? Back in the Flash days, we had loading screens, but those won’t fly in today’s fast-paced world. It’ll be important to dive into best practices for content preloading and optimisation to make sure that a site built primarily with Rive can load quickly and offer a smooth user experience.

  1. Deep Linking and Navigation

For websites built entirely in Rive, can we enable deep linking to specific sections of the site? This is critical for usability. Flash often struggled in this area, as users couldn’t directly navigate to a specific part of a website. Rive’s potential lies in overcoming this limitation, but I need to explore whether it can truly enable deep linking for a seamless, modern web navigation experience.

  1. Embedding and Loading Various Types of Content

A website built with Rive will likely need to embed more than just animations. How does Rive handle embedding images, media, fonts, and other assets? Will loading a lot of rich media impact performance, or can Rive efficiently manage all the content types a modern website requires? This is a crucial question in determining whether Rive can handle complex websites without sacrificing speed.

  1. What Are the Best Sizing Units to Use?

In the world of responsive design, using the right sizing units is essential. Does Rive favour pixel-based measurements, or can we use flexible units like em, rem, or percentages to make a site scalable? Understanding which units work best with Rive will help ensure that the site adjusts fluidly across devices.

  1. Vector or Bitmap: What’s the Right Choice?

Finally, is Rive more suitable for vector-based graphics or bitmap images? Vectors offer scalability and fast load times, which are key for responsiveness. On the other hand, bitmap graphics might offer richer detail but could slow down performance. Figuring out the best approach will help us balance quality and performance for Rive-powered websites.

Wrapping Up

While Rive is primarily seen as a tool for animations, its potential to build entire websites with rich media experiences is what truly excites me. We’ve moved far beyond the days of Flash, but Rive might just bring back some of that immersive magic, in a way that’s suited for today’s standards of performance, responsiveness, and interactivity. These are just a few of the questions I’ll be exploring as I dive into the world of Rive, and I’d love for you to join me on this journey.

Design’s AI Revolution

An Expert’s Roadmap for Tech-Driven Evolution

In my journey as a design professional, I’ve witnessed and embraced numerous technological shifts. From the early days of web design to the current AI revolution, my career has been defined by a willingness to explore and adapt to new tools and methodologies. Today, I want to share my perspective on the importance of this adaptability, especially as we navigate the AI era.

Riding the Waves of Technological Change

My journey in design has been marked by constant evolution. When I started, I quickly pivoted from graphic design to web design, recognising the growing importance of digital media. As Flash emerged as a dominant force, I dove in headfirst, mastering its capabilities and pushing the boundaries of what was possible online.

Then came a seismic shift: the decline of Flash. Rather than resisting this change, I embraced the new world of HTML5 and CSS3. This transition wasn’t just about learning new coding languages; it was about reimagining what web design could be in a post-Flash world.

As the digital landscape continued to evolve, I recognised the growing importance of product design over traditional agency work. Once again, I adapted, shifting my focus to create more holistic, user-centred digital experiences.

The AI Revolution: Our Current Frontier

Now, we stand at another technological crossroads with the rise of AI. From image creation and video tools to writing assistance and coding aids, AI is reshaping the creative landscape. As a design leader, I see immense potential in these technologies to augment our capabilities and push the boundaries of what we can achieve.

A Roadmap for Embracing New Technologies

Throughout my career, I’ve developed a roadmap for approaching new technologies:

  1. Embrace the Energy: Dive into new technologies with enthusiasm and an open mind.
  2. Assess the Value: Critically evaluate how new tools can enhance your work and processes.
  3. Be Patient: Some technologies need time to mature; don’t dismiss them too quickly.
  4. Know When to Pivot: If a technology isn’t delivering value, be ready to shift your focus.
  5. Stay Flexible: Cultivate the ability to quickly adapt and learn new skills.

Shaping the Future of Design

As we navigate the AI revolution, I’m excited about the possibilities it presents for design and creativity. AI tools have the potential to enhance our capabilities, allowing us to tackle challenges that were previously beyond our reach. However, the key to success will be in thoughtfully integrating these tools into our workflows, always keeping the human element at the centre of our design process.

For those looking to thrive in this new landscape, my advice is this: stay curious, be willing to experiment, but always keep a critical eye on the value these new technologies bring to your work and your clients.

Are you navigating the AI revolution in your creative work? I’d love to hear about your experiences and insights. Let’s connect and explore how we can shape the future of design together.

RIP Boosted Boards

Casey Neistat and his Boosted Board

Today it the owners of Boosted Boards put out this post on the companies blog that they have had to let a bunch of their employees go and the company is for sale as they have suffered financially for the past year and a half due to trade issues between the US & China.

Boosted Board

I have wanted one since I first gave it a try in a sporting store in NYC in 2017. It was pricy and I had heard there were issues with travelling with it on the plane. So ever since then, I check in with the company all the time to find out when they would start shipping to SA. Unfortunately that’s not an option now.

F!

I feel really sad like I want to shed a tear 😢 because I’m going to miss out on owning and getting miles of joy on what was the best electric skateboard on the market.

RIP Boosted Boards

Selling Out

How to not feel like you are selling out as you change jobs as a designer and selling some of my tech.

DoubleTake

DoubleTake by FiLMiC Pro

FiLMiC Pro is one of the best video camera apps for the iPhone & iPad, and they recently released a new app called DoubleTake which allows you to take advantage of multi-cam recording allowing you to record on two cameras on your phone at the same time.

If you have the iPhone 11 Pro, then you are able to use two of the four available cameras, which include the selfie camera. This could be great for recording yourself while shooting a scene or have close and wide shots of the same subject.

Best of all, it’s free!

Fear of flying

DJI Mavic Mini

I bought a DJI Mavic Mini last year and I took it for its first real flight today. Needless to say, it did not go as I’d hoped.

I used to own a DJI Mavic Pro and that worked out the box with very little problems, other than the guy trying to fly it. So if you want to buy a drone and provided it’s not illegal to do so at that weight, that’s the drone I’d recommend buying.

The problem I have with the mini is that it won’t stay connected to my phone. So I am reluctant to fly it out of risk of losing it. Granted, I live in the heart of Sandton. There are a few buildings here, nothing like New York City, Hong Kong or London. But then if I recall, I have not seen too many people who have reviewed the drone flying them there.

So before I come to any conclusions, I will go outside of the CBD soon and then, give a comprehensive review.

Internet is broken

In frustration, I ranted on twitter about the internet slowing as I was struggling to post anything on my WordPress site, Twitter was not even loading the feed. I got a response saying that there are two breaks on the line to South Africa, so I’m not alone.

I know there are bigger problems in the world, but it’s frustrating. However, I don’t like to complain.

The world needs a tech diet

Tech nutritional information

Digital nutrition is about developing and implementing cognitive skills and creating new habits to help us stay in control of our technology consumption.

UX Collective have posted this great essay on what designers can do to contribute to what they are calling a tech diet. Given all the dark patterns and manipulation out there imposed upon us all, I agree we need to start influencing change from the inside.

Things designers can do

2019 MacBook Pro wishlist

There are rumours about new MacBook being released in September, a 13 inch and a 16 inch MacBook Pro, which is very exciting, but they are sounding more like upgrades than innovative shifts. PC’s are fast catching up and offer a huge amount of competitive features. So I thought I’d add a list of features I’d like to see, even if they’re a little ambitious.

Touch Display If they can make an iPad, why not make a Mac with a touch display, something like the surface and yoga. After tapping away at my iPad I often find myself tapping my MacBook screen and nothing happens.

Gesture control Given how AR and emojicons are a thing, why not track our facial expressions and hand gestures to control our MacBooks without touching anything, this could be especially helpful while presenting work and designing 3D objects, never mind the possibilities during gaming.

FaceID Lets up the security of our MacBooks to turn them on while I sit in front of them. TouchID is useful, faceID would be even better.
Option to turn trackpad off Okay, I’m not sure if this already exists on the OS, but I’d like to turn off my trackpad when I am typing or using an external mouse. I often jump into some crazy unexpected writing funk when I accidentally touch the trackpad while typing. Let’s just disable the damn thing.

Docking station Just like the advanced graphics docking stations of razors, it would be magical if you could dock your MacBook Pro with advanced graphics, memory and processing power for heavy duty workloads.

Apple Pen I’d not be visually opposed to using my apple pencil on my MacBook Pro touch screen, even the trackpad for signing things. Could replace the magic mouse for all we know.

USB-C Let’s stick with the same adapters for a while. I really don’t feel like upgrading all of them again when a new model comes out.

What would you like to see on a new MacBook Pro?

GoPro, Pros & Cons

I got my GoPro game on real late compared to other people, but given how late I got one, I would have expected a little more attention to detail. I am less than impressed, and while I will keep using it, it’s not like I can send it back, GoPro could learn a thing or two from dji who packed everything perfectly when I bought my Mavic Pro.

Let’s start with the positives

  • Easily available
  • Waterproof
  • Actioncam
  • Wide view out the box
  • Lots of cool accessories
  • Reasonably priced compared to professional cameras
  • Small size makes it easily portable

Now the negative shiz, GoPro I’m so mad you are making me do this, but let’s get into this

  • No MicroSD card in the camera
  • Batteries are neither cheap or easily available locally
  • You have to take off the case to be able to charge it and replace batteries
  • Batteries don’t last long, so got to constantly charge
  • Changing settings is not that easy, I seriously struggle with the touchscreen
  • All the extras cost
  • Prices are not updated across the various outlets who stock them
  • The packaging bothers me, too much for whats inside, misleading.

I own a GoPro Hero 5, have a suction cup, 3 in 1 extendable/tripod/grip thing, a few tripod and other adapters so I can have my camera in a few places. Hopefully, I’ll find some cool ways to use it. Honestly having way more fun with my Mavic Pro and still use my iPhone X for most of my photography. Would be nice if GoPro put kits together with everything you need, so you can shoot straight out of the box, improve the access to batteries and the touchscreen needs some work. GoPro are super successful, it’s likely no one will ever read this post, but I’m just putting it out there, so at the very least, you know what you’re getting into.

Stay cool!

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