Design Workflows at Work

Resources

The following is a list of resources we recommend for assisting you with your design workflow. Some of them are suggestions from our interviewees, and some are our own. Resources include books, software, and more.

Analog Tools

• Bienfang NoteSketch Books

  Spiral bound pad for writing and drawing. Ruled lines on half of the page and blank paper on the other half. Perfect for school projects, note taking, arts and crafts projects, do it yourself projects, and much more. Horizontal Format--ruled lines are printed on the bottom half of the page on both sides of the page. Vertical Format--ruled lines are printed along the inside half of the book on both sides of the page.

• D*I*Y Planners

  For the designer that likes to make their own stuff. DIYPlanner.com is a community site whose focus is on paper-based productivity, planning, journalling and creative techniques. Here you will find the official DIY Planner kits(including the Hipster PDA), as well as daily articles, scores of useful templates, handbooks and how-to's, forums for discussing productivity in its many forms, images to clad your planners or inspire you, and so much more.

• Introducing the Hipster PDA

  For people who hate digital devices or having to feel "connected" all the time. Same productivity without the device.

• Next Action Cards

  These cards are effective for any project management system, not just the Getting Things Done system (indeed by having a spot for prioritization on the card

• Moleskine Notebooks

  The Moleskine is a notebook that has been used by European artists, writers and thinkers for the past two centuries. It was unavailable for a long period of time because the company that made them went out of business. The notebooks have recently been made by a new company and can be purchased online and at most major bookstore chains.

Books

• Transcending CSS Purchase from Amazon

  Andy Clarke's brilliant and inspirational web design book.

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Purchase from Amazon

  David Allen's productivity manual that has changed the lives of many, helping them to get organized and, as the title say, get things done.

• Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works Purchase from Amazon

  This book lays out a specific five-step strategy--called the Core Process--that can always be applied to the development of Web sites and fine-tuned to almost any type of project. Each step--defining the project, developing site structure, visual design and testing, production and QA, and launch and beyond--contains three related but distinct tracks.

• Pro CSS Techniques Purchase from Amazon

  Jeff Croft, Ian Lloyd, and Dan Rubin's guide to professional-level, real-world CSS.

Flickr Sets

• Moleskines on Flickr

• Getting Things Done with Index Cards

• Hipster PDAs on Flickr

• GTD Cluster on Flickr

Online Resources

• Designing an online workflow

  Guide for creating a workflow using online tools.

• Getting Things Done With Google

  If you are looking for a cost effective resource for managing your task and "Things To Do", look no further than Google. This article explains some possible techniques for getting things done using Google Office tools.

Online Tools

• TiddlyWiki

  Tiddly Wiki is a GettingThingsDone adaptation. GTD Tiddly Wiki gives users a single place to manage their their GTD lists and support materials so they can create/edit lists, and then print directly to 3x5 cards for use with the HipsterPDA.

• Remember The Milk

  Simple online list and task management.

• Nozbe

  Nozbe is a web-based application inspired by many concepts presented by David Allen in "Getting Things Done". It's Pretty simple and free.

• Tracks

  Tracks is a web-based application to help you implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done™ methodology. It was built using Ruby on Rails, and comes with a built-in webserver (WEBrick), so that you can run it on your own computer if you like.

• Vitalist

  Vitalist is a web-based application inspired by David Allen in "Getting Things Done". It's Pretty simple and free. It's available online, on mobile devices and allows for collaboration between users.

Software

• TextMate

  This popular Mac OS X text editor seems to be the favorite of most of our interviewees.

• Kinkless

  Kinkless GTD is a free set of Applescripts that work with OmniOutliner Pro to create a framework for implementing David Allen’s Getting Things Done task-management methodology.

• Yojimbo

  Note taking, tagging and bookmarking taken to the extreme. It accepts almost anything—text, bookmarks, PDF files, web archives, serial numbers or passwords—by dragging, copying, importing or even printing!

• Mori

  Mori is a digital notebook that makes it easy to record and organize your thoughts. Unlike the alternatives, Mori doesn't box you into one way of thinking. Instead Mori's simple and flexible design puts you in charge of your information.