You’ve likely heard of PaintCode before. The moment you first heard about it was exciting. You might have anxiously downloaded it on the app store or bought it through a MacHeist bundle.

What happened from there..?

If you’re like me, the excitement may have gradually become confusion. Not due to the interface or the functionality, PaintCode is easy to navigate and anything but bloated. PaintCode’s documentation is also complete, filled with great video and images illustrating the functionality. @PixelCutCompany also is also quick to reply to specific questions. At times, they even go above and beyond offering to help with a hands on fix.

What was confusing though was how to integrate PaintCode into a first project. That first project was mid-development on my first attempt, so much of the confusion was likely self-inflicted. Still the team eventually put PaintCode to the side and exporting multiple images and writing code started back up.

To be precise, they went back to writing code, there was no way I could. I went back to sketching with a pencil and mouse.

The point when a design is handed off to developers can be both technically and emotionally exhausting. As the team’s designer I was confused about where PaintCode would come into play in the my process. The team iOS developers were confused where exactly they would pick up from.