ColorFlow was one of the most difficult user experience projects I have worked on. At Kodak, as a leader in the “push the button, we do the rest” kind of photography, I worked on metaphors to manage ICC color profiles, device links profiles, measurement patches and tons of color theory to create an application that let the user get to the point of saying “making this color on this device look the same on that device”
This kind of unifying but simplifying metaphor took months of prototyping and testing to create a user experience that was simple enough for prepress staff to calibrate presses and proofers without a detailed knowledge of color theory, but powerful enough to allow the experts to have the “hooks” and other complications that allowed them to “tweak” color when they did not like the results of the color engine. My colleague and color scientist John Fowler wrote, “Dave brings unique clarity and vision to product opportunities. He has a rare ability to analyse and transform complex problems into effective products. He tackles challenges with open-mindedness, seeking inspiration and design metaphors from outside the problem domain.”
Kodak’s ColorFlow Product Page
I wrote, designed, and recorded this Introduction to ColorFlow 1.0 in 2008.