Having downloaded the beta version of
Adobe's new program, Muse, I was looking forward to working with the new program. Muse is basically a program that lets you design a website in an interface similar to InDesign and codes everything for you once you're finished. Despite fact that I already know how to code, I thought it might be fun to try it out. The interface is definitely user friendly and is easy to navigate through.
What's the difference between Muse and Dreamweaver? Well, Muse is more focused on the design aspect of a website whereas Dreamweaver relies more heavily on the coding aspect. You can easily design a clean website in Muse because it's compatible with Adobe's other programs. For designers who know nothing about code then Muse would be a great way to go to create a simple website. Here's what I made with Muse:
Of course there are limitations. For something that doesn't stick perfectly into a neat grid I would much prefer to take full control over the web page and code it myself. I'd definitely recommend trying out the program while it's in beta to designers who are clueless about code. However, after beta is over, I would not recommend it for serious usage just yet. Right now there are too many limitations set by letting the program code for you. Yes, it's easy to use and fast to learn for print designers who are used to the InDesign interface. However the fact that the interface is based off of a print design program is exactly what limits it. With print design there are set borders and sizes because the design is going onto a tangible thing, but with web design there shouldn't be any borders; there are very existant borders in Muse. If designers want to have a focus on front and back end web design, then Muse just isn't enough (for example it doesn't even have SEO and even though the code works it is excessive and could be done much better by a developer).
What I do think Muse is good for is making a website mock-up. Rather than sending over a flat image of what the site is going to look like it would be much better to make a mock-up of the site in Muse so that the client can actually interact with the site. It would be easier to communicate with the client what you have in mind and easier for them to see what everything will be like in action. And once you and the client are set you can code it yourself (without even looking at the excessive mess of code that Muse creates) or have a developer code it. It's like how when customers go mattress shopping they try out mattresses in the store, and when they decide on one they take home a new clean mattress instead of the one they tried out (because who knows what's been on the display mattress). It just saves time and money to let the customers try out the mystery mattress before they settle and give them a nice clean one when they know what they want.
