DIY website Instructables released its first mobile app today, an iPhone tool that lets users view and create project how-tos from anywhere.
“A lot of people don’t have a true camera in their pocket,” says Instructables founder and CEO Eric Wilhelm. “They’ve got their phone. And so we just wanted to be right there.”
Wilhelm has plenty of first-hand experience, with 142 projects to his name. He was frustrated by the workflow, having to upload each picture to the website through his computer’s web browser after the project was complete, rather than as he snapped the photos.
“On our editor on the site, I end up creating a whole bunch of steps and uploading these images step by step,” says Wilhelm. “And I spend a lot of time organizing the images, in iPhoto, or Picasa, getting them into the steps before I then go to upload them.”
“It’s been fun developing for the constraints of the phone, because it’s forced us to rethink the editor,” he says. “We’ve learned a lot on making the flow of editing much better, and that’s going to translate to the website as well.”
The app’s drag-and-drop feature lets users select photos from their phones, bypassing digital cameras in favor of the accessibility of a smartphone. But Wilhelm is also aware that typing up instructions on a phone is less than ideal. So Instructables lets you save on your phone and access on the web, and vice versa. And it lets you see all of Instructables 90,000 user-submitted projects, so you can bring directions or supply lists with you.
Instructables contests are on the app, but the community section isn’t yet accessible. The Android version, still in beta testing, is not officially available yet either. iPad users can access the app, but it’s the same one, just larger — although Wilhelm says that interest from the community could lead to the team exploring a dedicated version for tablets.
Even without those upcoming modifications, Wilhelm is excited about the iOS app’s potential to increase the accessibility of sharing DIY plans.
“Our authors are using multiple devices in multiple places,” says Wilhelm. “We just want to give them the ability to author wherever they are.”
Instructables, The App, Comes to iOS
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Instructables, The App, Comes to iOS
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Instructables, The App, Comes to iOS
