The bottom bar in particular is a lot less complicated, and no longer extends all the way across the window. This shot shows several ways we simplified the UI. In this last mock, the app really started to look like what we eventually shipped, complete with the new “Light” theme: None of these were major changes, but together, they served to simplify the interface as a whole. You can see the boxes around each group of blocks were removed, icons were enlarged, and the text was given more space. The above screenshots zoom in on the shipping sidebars for version 3 and version 4. However, the sidebar on the right looks similar to the final product, with a reduction of the more ornate elements of the old UI. The colours temporarily swung back towards version 3’s darker hues and the connecting wires have reverted back to straight. This particular mockup is almost a halfway point between versions 3 and 4. Over time, my mockups moved closer to the app’s final form, and contained more and more of the eventual interface, as seen in the following mock: Both contained Audio Hijack’s signature oranges and blues, but the feel wasn’t figured out yet. These first two mockups also show that the colour scheme was fluctuating wildly. It’s an idea I still like, but it hasn’t yet made it past this concept phase: In this next mock, I tried having tiles snap directly together. This was quickly axed, however, because it led to too many cases where we needed to split block titles onto two lines. I also experimented with small icons under the block titles. I knew right away that I wanted curved wires, though I was unsure if they would be worth the development effort. It shows just two blocks, but the connecting wire is surprisingly similar to what we ended up shipping. This is the very first mockup that I could find for version 4:
#AUDIO HIJACK FOR WINDOWS CODE#
I dabbled with various ideas off and on for quite some time, while our amazing developer Grant worked on the underlying code and new features. The node-based UI introduced in version 3 was a huge success, so we knew we wanted to keep that general concept intact, while improving myriad facets of it. The design of Audio Hijack 4 came together over a long period of time. Let’s look at some of the ways we accomplished these various goals. New App Icon: Finally, I was excited to make a new icon for the new version. Our apps have also been trending towards having more and more movement, so it made sense to liven things up by adding more animation. From day one, we knew we’d be adding a new “Light” theme, but I also sought to add splashes of colour throughout the app. I felt this was something I could make flow more logically.Ī Brighter, More Kinetic App: Audio Hijack 3 had a somewhat muted look, and I wanted to brighten the new version. The list of saved sessions serves as the starting point for the app, and I wanted to improve that window by showing more details about sessions, as well as allowing the user to access basic controls without having to open them.īetter Navigation: In the previous version of Audio Hijack, a session’s recordings and timers were kept in a separate window, rather than being closely tied to each session. I wanted to make the rest of the interface deferential to each session’s audio grid.Ī More Functional Sessions List: Audio Hijack sessions are reusable and saved automatically. Audio Hijack’s critical functionality is found in the custom setups called sessions, which users create to capture and manipulate audio. Less Visual Clutter: While I loved design of Audio Hijack 3, fantastically executed by Rogue Amoeba’s previous designer Christa, I felt it could be made cleaner and simpler. However, I knew there were places we could improve. Audio Hijack 3 was originally released in 2015, and it provided a great foundation. When considering what to do for the new version, I worked out some clear design goals. Now that it’s out, I can take you behind the scenes and show you how we went from design goals and sketches to a polished app.
Without a doubt, this was the biggest design project I’ve tackled as Rogue Amoeba’s designer, and probably in my entire career. In addition to over 100 new features, Audio Hijack 4 also includes an overhauled design.
#AUDIO HIJACK FOR WINDOWS UPGRADE#
Posted By Neale Van Fleet on September 9th, 2022Įarlier this year, we shipped a massive upgrade to our flagship audio recorder, Audio Hijack.
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