I was pulling together work to update my portfolio and realized I didn’t have anything in it that showcased my IA/UX chops. So I started digging around for files I could scrub and post.  I found tons of documentation files I’ve created with some diagrams and charts.  I noticed however that many of my wire frames are still on paper and quite a few never even digitized and added to docs.

I need a better way to get my sketches and ideas from paper to screen. I’ve been thinking about OmniGraffle for iPad and turning it into one step.  Using my scanner has so far been a pain.  I don’t have a lot of desk space so I pull it out just when I need it.  I also found that I didn’t have the drivers for it anymore, and the mfg want’s me to pay for the latest version.  I have also tried using a digital camera with mixed results. I occasionally use my iPhone camera to capture whiteboard sketches and then translate them into graffles (is that a word?) and that works well, but if I don’t have the time to re-draft something it doesn’t work well. The quality of the photos is so poor that I occasionally forget what was intended in the images.

So I need a solution for getting my work to clients and into my portfolio.  Nothing beats pencil on paper, but clients like digital copies.  What I need is a high quality low footprint scanner.  I don’t need full color photo quality, but it should be color and at least 300dpi.  Anyway, I’ll keep looking but I’d also love to hear if anyone has suggestions.

I’ve been working for a lot of different agencies lately as a freelance developer. The work is almost always interesting or at the very least bearable. Each have their cultures that make them both abrasive and fun to work for.  The one thing that has made a difference is the speed at which they pay their contractors.  On the top of my list is Gage, they pay very quickly and almost never give me trouble.  Riley Hayes also paid me quickly, which was very nice.  BBDO/Proximity however, the average for them is about 40 days, which in this economy is ridiculous. You don’t pay the plumber more than a month later, you should be paying you coders quickly as well.  What I found most annoying was I had net 7 as terms on my invoices, which they ignored. They then told me after 30 days that they pay net 30.  Of course I still wondered, “where is my check then, it has been 30 days”  It seems that the bigger the agency the slower they move.  I don’t think it is unreasonable to pay a bill when it is received, that is what I try to do with the people I owe.

Starting over.  All my content was old and stale.  I may pull some of it back in, updated of course, if I deem it relevant and truly useful.  My focus is still Flash and Flex with some java here and there, but I’m also venturing into iPhone and Android.  If I can make mobile development profitable I may venture deeper into WebOS and Blackberry.