Retrospective: EZPZ

Take a look at how EZPZ came to be — from idea and initial prototype to shipped iOS application.

In my first undergraduate design course, Drawing, with Vasa Mihich our first assignment was to share what the most important part of our work at the time was. I was into using the computer to draw and share my work online. Without knowing too much about the history behind, I declared how I enjoyed the process of making. The journey is often more valuable and satisfying than the destination.

Screenshot of the retrospective I published for EZPZ on Notion, 2023

I continue to honor the process of making. As I make, I take screenshots, notes, and logs of my progress. I believe recording the process informs how I work and gives me ideas of how to improve. I do not always consolidate or share the recordings, but this month’s newsletter is an exception. I recently spent a couple of weeks documenting my process for an iOS app that was released a couple of months ago. And now, I am sharing that with you in the form of a retrospective document.

EZPZ is a music app born out of a simple idea. Drawing can have a sound and that sound can be modulated by how you draw. How this idea came to be an app was based on: 50+ prototype explorations, branding iterations, and numerous technical hurdles to overcome. All that gets lost in the release of a single product. Which is why I am excited to share this retrospective. It details, in a modified IMRaD format, the winding road to get to a product release, an assessment of the creative output, and what next steps could be.

In addition to it including a few working prototypes to try out and video samples of previous builds, I think this exemplifies my creative process today. Graphic design and computer programming are my left and right hands. In this project, I was happily able to flex both.

As always, I would love your feedback. Does your creative process look familiar or different? And if you are looking to work with someone to develop your own product, project, software, or website, I remain at your disposal.

—Jono