Beta Release of Free iRise Studio MX Offering Creates iPhone App Prototypes So Lifelike, Users Think They're the Real Thing

New rapid-prototyping visualization software from industry leader speeds app creation, helps non-programmers and software developers prototype iPhone apps quickly for users to try, critique

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iRise

Feb 27, 2012, 10:00 ET

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move that accelerates and democratizes the development of iPhone applications, iRise today announced a private beta program for iRise Studio MX, a free visualization product for building iPhone app prototypes that look and act so much like the real thing that people mistake them for final, coded apps. The drag-and-drop user interface of iRise Studio MX requires no coding or scripting of any kind, so that anyone can assemble realistic iPhone screens with working controls and basic navigation, while more tech-savvy users can incorporate interactivity, business logic, and sample data.

This new capability encourages users to "kick the tires" on new iPhone apps, make suggestions and give feedback long before a single line of code is ever written, helping to create apps that delight end users. It also opens up software prototyping to people who don't write code, a group that has often been unable to share their app ideas effectively with others.

"With more than a decade of experience creating the category of enterprise software visualization products and services, we quickly discovered when the iPhone was introduced that lots of people have great ideas for new apps. But few of them can put together a coded app in a few hours that looks and feels good enough to 'sell' others on their ideas," says Emmet B. Keeffe III, CEO and co-founder of iRise.

"With iRise Studio MX, creative people can put together visual prototypes that their potential users can view and test on their own iPhones or browsers. You can hand someone a phone and say, 'Here, it will work like this.' That's an incredible selling tool, as well as a great software development accelerator," says Keeffe. And, he adds, "It's also a great way to make apps that users find 'insanely great,' in the words of Steve Jobs. App designers can see what users like and need at the beginning of a project, not at the end. Once they understand that, the app can be coded with full confidence that it will be what iRise users' customers, clients and colleagues really want."

Since it released the world's first enterprise software visualization tools in 2002, iRise has pioneered visual prototyping for accelerating the delivery of enterprise applications on a variety of platforms, including SAP and web apps, and offers a full line of unique products that help organizations save time and money while still providing a great user experience.

The latest addition to the iRise family of products, iRise Studio MX is a free graphical tool that sports many features that help app creators design mobile experiences that delight their end users. The tool benefits new apps as well as existing ones that need a mobile interface. Highlights include:

A full set of drag-and-drop iPhone user interface (UI) elements and controls, such as the barrel spinner and the on/off switch, help app creators to assemble new prototypes rapidly, sometimes in the course of a single meeting. All elements comply with Apple's iOS UI Element Usage Guidelines, for simulations that look almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
People with new app ideas can prototype the full app experience by adding navigation, media, rich interactions, and even business logic and sample data.
Studio MX prototypes are completely self-contained, and are easily sharable via email or intranet with anyone, anywhere. Prototypes run in the browser inside an emulated iPhone, complete with virtual keyboard and momentum scrolling, for a rich, realistic mobile experience.
Studio MX prototypes can be run directly on the iPhone with iRise Mobile, a free app available in iTunes App Store.

"Unlike the prototypes produced with some other products, iRise Studio MX simulations aren't just screenshots with hyperlinks. They are fully interactive prototypes with sliders that slide, maps that zoom, and inputs that capture and act on real data," says Maurice Martin, iRise President, COO and founder. "As we've learned with desktop and web applications, static screenshots don't uncover the design flaws, requirements gaps, and usability errors that an interactive, immersive prototype can highlight. And with mobile apps, the user experience is everything."

The owner of several software visualization patents, iRise has already garnered extensive experience creating new products and services that help companies cope with the growing need of business and government to meet new expectations raised by the ease of use of mobile platforms such as the iPhone, the iPad, and laptops. The demands that stem from the skyrocketing use of such platforms in business—often referred to as "the consumerization of IT"—have put many organizations under intense pressure to create business applications for stakeholders who expect to take their apps with them wherever they go, and who are quickly irritated by even small flaws in their user experiences.

Geared for people with the computer skills of a typical business "power user" and above, iRise Studio MX is a successful strategy for dealing with such backlogs of iPhone apps.

To request an invitation to the iRise Studio MX beta program, please go to www.irisemx.com. More information about iRise and its other products can be found at www.irise.com.

Finally, iRise will host a live webinar on iRise Studio MX on March 15th at 10:30 AM PST. You'll learn how easy it is to create a realistic visual iPhone app prototype that looks and acts like the real thing, without code. Click on the following link to register for this exciting demonstration of the power of visualization:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/438278648

About iRise
iRise is the world's leading provider of enterprise visualization software for business applications. Visualization has become a critical competitive advantage for businesses to more effectively communicate their needs to technology teams and give everyone involved the ability to interact with and fully experience applications before they are built. Companies of all sizes—such as General Motors, UPS, FedEx, Haworth, Manpower, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and hundreds of others—use iRise to "test drive" their applications before building, which accelerates time to market, improves customer experience, and drives cost down. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., iRise is backed by Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, and Deutsche Bank, and has sales offices across North America and in London.