Adobe is currently working a project codenamed, “Thermo.” It will be the most intuitive process for converting Photoshop and Illustrator designs into interactive applications. The program looks similar to Dreamweaver’s code and design views. When you switch to the code view you can see that the application is producing Flex code underneath, so designers and developers can collaborate throughout the process.

Thermo also has one of the best user interfaces that I’ve seen in an application. There appears to be essentially one menu, which alters its content based on the context. When dragging around or scaling an object, the coordinates and dimensions are displayed next to the cursor. This type of interface design will likely eliminate the need to have dozens of panels open.

Thermo also solves a problem that studios have be wrangling with for years with their Flash and web applications. How do I should the customer how the product is going to work? Storyboards work relatively well for linear narratives, but interactive narratives often branch in several directions. So some studios go to the trouble of making elaborate Flash prototypes for the client so that they can sign off on the project. This can be extremely costly. Thermo promises to make such a strategy cost-effective by enabling the designer to produce a simple interactive application in seconds. See the videos for proof.