Crank Software is working hard to change how embedded user interface (UI) solutions are developed. Traditional development methodologies, asserts the Crank group, leave designers on the sideline after the artwork has been handed off to the software developers. This linear process typically leads to a UI that isn't a true reflection of the design vision and is difficult to update.

Enter Storyboard Suite 5.0, Crank Software's recently updated turnkey UI development software that gives designers and developers the tools to work collaboratively and iterate the UI and UX to perfection in a fraction of the time. Storyboard Suite supports graphic designers and engineers equally with innovative features and an intuitive workflow that allows them to work in parallel to deliver UIs that are modern, scalable and optimized for embedded products.

The platform is powerful enough to create high-end, sophisticated UIs yet easy to learn and use without requiring hardware decisions to be made up front. Teams can be productive from the beginning of a project through to final delivery, saving valuable resources and costs and delivering powerful user experiences in less time.

New features in version 5.0 include finer execution control and custom easing rates for improved animations and movement; ready-to-use, sharable components for quick prototyping and test UI interactions; a new render extension to facilitate drawing and graphing programmatically; and an exports option that simplifies sharing of Storyboard applications for quick testing to improve the feedback loop for design iteration. Storyboard Suite offers Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS and Windows versions.