May 17, 2012
Piictu Profile: Susie Ridgway
May 8, 2012
Filters have come to Piictu!
“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.”
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
Piictu is a place for people to collaborate around an idea by expressing their own point of view. We feel the intention behind a piic (what compels us to participate) is just as important as the composition of the resultant pixels.
Many people notice that we didn’t include filters in the first versions of Piictu. While filters are fun and expressive, they do not make images great. Great images tell stories.
That said, we love experimenting with filters and camera effects, especially when they’re used to express a mood, push our creative boundaries, and do more than make “bad photos look good.”
We also want to give our users the features they crave. This why we integrated Camera+ into Piictu. We’re huge admirers of Camera+, and we’re excited to see how it will affect our community, and our uploads.
We hope you enjoy this new feature. Now let’s tell great stories!
May 4, 2012
Piictu included in the The Art of Apps exhibit in NYC
I always felt the real difference between art and design is around the notion of “responsibility”. Basically, artists get to be somewhat “irresponsible” about what they create with the justification of a greater good, message or feeling they want to convey. In “design” that responsibility is usually serving more of an external force like a market, clients, problems… etc
However… they both share the same core challenge: “what to do next”.
The big dilemma of any creator is constantly answering the “what” the “how” and finally the “why”. Artists and designers are simply people that get accustomed to asking those questions every little step of the way. They live in that question, and by doing so, have access to a constant flow of answers (ideas, forms… etc).
At Piictu design really touches every aspect of our process, from how we think of UX/UI to the metaphors and messaging we borrow to communicate. The easiest way to describe how that process works is “we strive to live and face that question every day”. Because of this practice, as a team, we are lucky to count on that constant flow of fresh ideas and perspectives about what we are working on.
There is a big tendency to shy away from questions as soon as something starts working; but its usually not a good idea. Contrary to how it might feel, that is exactly where you want to be.
We are really excited to be a part of the first “app art” exhibit in NYC called The art of Apps next month. We’ve always considered ourselves a “design driven” company and feel really proud to be included among some of our favorite apps like Path, Paper, Mixel, Tweetbot.
If you are in NYC this May please stop by the show to see how art, technology and design are opening new opportunities for us to interact and relate to the world.
Jon.
April 24, 2012
Rise of the Piictu Fans!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve observed the remarkable rise of the “Piictu Fans.” This international group, coordinated from a Facebook page, are building a casual, unofficial space for Piictu users to talk about the app and their experiences in it. Inspired, we met the creators last week at Piictu Happy Hour and discussed the hopes they have for the group.
April 19, 2012
At Piictu Happy Hour: The Sequel!
Last night we had an wonderful time hosting our second Piictu Happy Hour. Building on the success of our first event, PHH: The Sequel introduced us to even more incredible members of the Piictu community. It was great to learn how they use the app everyday, and to discover concrete ways we can make it better!
We met ajpanda, a talented fashion photographer in the city, and diana88, who finds some of the most adorable puppies you will ever see. We spoke with uwlibby and kara_aurori who helped us understand the importance of moderating certain content on Piictu, and giving users more privacy features.
We also learned about an exciting new photo app made nearby. Major Manhattan iPhoneographer Stephen Thorpey introduced us to “Lightbomber” - a long exposure/lightpainting app that we had demoed for us by the app creator herself!
As the event took off, we caught up with River and Martin.Fling who recently captured their cross-country move in inspiring Piictu fashion. The creators of the Unofficial Piictu Fan Page also showed up, and captured some of the most memorable images of the evening for their page. Definitely check them out!
It was an extraordinary evening, reminding us (and the unexpecting patrons of Solas) what a wonderful community we have at Piictu. Please join us in the future, and let us know if you want to host a Piictu Happy Hour yourself!
April 17, 2012
Protecting User Data & Privacy
In the past few weeks, there’s been a lot of concern about how iPhone apps take and store user data. This concern has risen to the highest levels of American government with Congress recently asking 34 companies (including yours truly) to detail formal approaches to user data. We want to share some of our answers with you - because we are steadfast in our commitment to asking before we take, and taking only things you want us to have.
:: Has your iOS app at any time transmitted information from or about a user’s address book? If so, which fields? Also, please describe all measures taken to protect or secure that information during transmission and the periods of time during which those measures were in effect. ::
In old versions of the app, users would be able to mention Address Book contacts as a way to invite them to the app. The only information being passed were email addresses of the contacts being invited. This was done through an SSL connection, and at no time were the addresses shared with third parties. Also, at no time were those emails address stored in our system.
Since version 1.3.1, the app asks users for permission before accessing their Address Book. If the user agrees, only email addresses from the user’s Address Book are sent, and the same security measures as before are taken.
:: Have you at any time stored information from or about a user’s address book? ::
After February 8th, 2012 we started asking users for access to their address book during the initial signup flow. The text displayed says “In order to find your friends, we need to send address book information to Piictu’s servers using a secure connection” and users have the options to accept or decline.
April 16, 2012
Piictu Profile: Tori Church
