Easel
Dev tools
visual web design builder
SHOW HN2012
How HN took it
9 positive, 9 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 8 critical, out of 31 comments about the project. Thread score +0.10.
Idea: 5 for, 1 againstDesign: 1 for, 3 againstExecution: 1 for, 3 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Strong visual design and good first impression
From 2 comments
Congratulations for shipping! It's a huge milestone to reach and I'm sure it is nerve wracking to press that submit button on a 'Show HN' Here are some of my observations after…
skyhook_mockups on HNVery cool indeed. I spent about 20 mins messing around and was thoroughly impressed. I typically use Balsamiq Mockups but will have to try this for my next project.
nemesis1637 on HN
Saves time compared to coding layouts by hand
From 2 comments
You should post a simple guided tour like how Yahoo does for their first time E-mail users or how google does for the new compose button. The app itself is excellent and your…
neya on HNReally awesome work. Saved me about a month of work! You can count me as a customer.
joewee on HN
Zip export and styling flexibility
From 2 comments
Things I like about Easel: - Zipfile export contains everything you need to demo your site with a web server - The UI. It's simple and elegant [1] in its most minimal…
shredfvz on HNTo answer the original question, we offer 2 things beyond the competitors: More flexibility: You can style elements, and you dont need to use the bootstrap containers (or…
mrbogle on HN
Objections
Interface is confusing and overwhelming for new users
From 4 comments
It's a cool piece of engineering, but feels feature bloated to me. I am genuinely confused with the interface. My only feedback would be to make it simpler by removing or hiding…
mrchess on HNPretty awesome app. The interface is a little confusing and it's annoying to see a welcome note on every visit. Consider adding tips to give new users a quick overview of how it…
mrgreenfur on HNI don't think a tutorial would help. The feeling is similar is that of being thrown into Photoshop. Here's a couple initial thoughts after playing for 30 minutes: 1. Not sure…
mrchess on HNIt looks cool and I'd totally use something like that, but the demo page has too many stuff on it which kinda scared me away.
mion on HN
Buggy behaviour and slow performance
From 3 comments
Things I like about Easel: - Zipfile export contains everything you need to demo your site with a web server - The UI. It's simple and elegant [1] in its most minimal…
shredfvz on HNIt's ok, but there are bugs. After deleting all of elements from the demo project, and inserting a heading and a layout element, I ended up with this:…
rorrr on HNStop script | Continue I'll go with the first choice.
mhitza on HN
Hard to use on smaller screens due to overlapping panels
From 2 comments
Congratulations for shipping! It's a huge milestone to reach and I'm sure it is nerve wracking to press that submit button on a 'Show HN' Here are some of my observations after…
skyhook_mockups on HNThings I like about Easel: - Zipfile export contains everything you need to demo your site with a web server - The UI. It's simple and elegant [1] in its most minimal…
shredfvz on HN
Requests
Guided tour or onboarding for new users
From 3 comments
Pretty awesome app. The interface is a little confusing and it's annoying to see a welcome note on every visit. Consider adding tips to give new users a quick overview of how it…
mrgreenfur on HNYou should post a simple guided tour like how Yahoo does for their first time E-mail users or how google does for the new compose button. The app itself is excellent and your…
neya on HNThanks for the feedback mrchess. It's true that there are many options that appear all at once. Do you think having a tour that highlighted specific next actions would address…
mcolyer on HN
Better colour selection, including hex code input and swatches
From 1 comment
Designer here. I was just using Easel yesterday before you added Bootstrap. I was trying to work 'visually'. Great first impression. VERY glad to see you've added bootstrap!…
digitalengineer on HN
Web font upload or Typekit integration
From 1 comment
Perhaps I missed it, but one thing I didn't see was how to upload or point to new web fonts. That would be very nice.
liquidcool on HN
Open-source or licensable version for embedding
From 1 comment
I'd really like to see some sort of open-source or license-able tool like this that can be integrated into other apps or CMS tools. Something packaged up like rich-text editors are
callmeed on HN
Questions
How does it compare to Divshot and Jetstrap
From 2 comments
Looks great! I'd be curious to know how it compares to Divshot (http://divshot.com)?
sgdesign on HNLooks like there are now three serious competitors in this space: - Jetstrap (http://jetstrap.com/) - Divshot (http://divshot.com/) - Easel (https://www.easel.io/) I could see a…
coderdude on HN
How to zoom out or resize elements
From 1 comment
I don't think a tutorial would help. The feeling is similar is that of being thrown into Photoshop. Here's a couple initial thoughts after playing for 30 minutes: 1. Not sure…
mrchess on HN
Alternatives named
Divshot
From 2 comments
Looks great! I'd be curious to know how it compares to Divshot (http://divshot.com)?
sgdesign on HNI've been using Jetstrap and Divshot for 2 weeks on a small project. Of the two so far, I've found Divshot has more features and ease of use, yet Jetstrap is very good in its own…
TSR830-10Q on HN
Jetstrap
From 2 comments
Looks like there are now three serious competitors in this space: - Jetstrap (http://jetstrap.com/) - Divshot (http://divshot.com/) - Easel (https://www.easel.io/) I could see a…
coderdude on HNI've been using Jetstrap and Divshot for 2 weeks on a small project. Of the two so far, I've found Divshot has more features and ease of use, yet Jetstrap is very good in its own…
TSR830-10Q on HN
Adobe Edge Reflow
From 1 comment
Thanks, I built Jetstrap :) To answer the parent, Adobe technically does have a competitor in this space, though it's not focused on bootstrap and it's kind of complicated:…
yesimahuman on HN
Balsamiq Mockups
From 1 comment
Very cool indeed. I spent about 20 mins messing around and was thoroughly impressed. I typically use Balsamiq Mockups but will have to try this for my next project.
nemesis1637 on HN