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Dev Update for March 12 2019

Hello again, friends of Balsamiq!

It's nearly spring time here in the northern hemisphere, and I'm excited to share some of the things the dev team are growing for you (I'm sorry - I couldn't resist...) Anyway, let's jump in!

Introducing A Rebuilt Full-Screen Presentation Mode

The Full-Screen Presentation mode that shipped with Balsamiq Cloud was originally built for Version 3 of the editor, which launched with Mockups 3 for Desktop way back in 2015. That's an eon on the web; and while it still worked wonderfully, it was time to revisit and see how we could make it better.

So, without further ado, allow me to present the new Full-Screen Presentation Mode:

This new version allows for more interactivity while in full-screen, and works better for user testing scenarios.

When you first open the new Full-Screen Presentation Mode, you'll be greeted with the settings screen.

This is where you can quickly specify what kind of presentation you're doing, or customize individual settings. As settings are saved across sessions, you can also just simply dismiss this with the ENTER key. Let's take a look at the two presets offered by default.

Review Mode

The Review preset basically enables all the extra bells and whistles that Full-Screen Presentation Mode offers.

In addition to existing features like Link Hints, Markup, and the Big Arrow Cursor, we have added the Wireframe Navigator, Notes, and Comments. This makes the Full-Screen Presentation mode the most immersive version of our Review and Comment permission level.

Users accessing Full-Screen Presentation Mode in Review mode won't be able to edit, but they will be able to make comments and add callouts to your designs. It's a nice way to review a project without distraction.

User Test Mode

The User Test Mode is the complete opposite of the Review Mode - it has everything turned off by default. This streamlines the view so that all someone is interacting with is the content you have created. If you have linked your wireframes together, your users can click through your project as if it were a real website or app. We think this will make it much easier to user test projects without distractions.

This is what's included in the 1.0 version we shipped today for Balsamiq Cloud. Version 1.5 will include the ability to send links directly to any pre-set full-screen session, as well as changes based on your feedback from version 1. We are looking to start work on version 1.5 after we build 1.0 for our new desktop apps.

Speaking of New Desktop Apps...

Our dev team is barreling towards our Q1 goal for having a feature complete beta. We are about to cross a huge milestone in that endeavor with local saving.

That may not seem like a big deal but, up until this point, the beta basically was a editor/viewer for Balsamiq Cloud - you had to have an internet connection to use it. We did this because the editor was our priority at the start. Features like local saving had to take a back seat until we were sure we got the editor (mostly) right. Now, as we close in on a feature complete beta, local saving is ready to test. Beta testers should see an update in the next week or two (if all goes as planned).

Want to be a beta tester? Send us an email specifying if you're a macOS or Windows user, and we will add you to the private beta list. As soon as we have a spot for you, we will get you in!

That is all that is fit to print this month, friends. Things are going to get more and more exciting in the coming months, so we will talk again soon.

Until then, Happy Wireframing!

Brendan for the Balsamiq Team

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