Napkin

Napkin is a Mac App for image annotation and sharing. I used it recently to send quick feedback to developers on their implementation of designs and it is a joy to work with. It is clear that Napkin’s creators have focused on the details and flow of the app and made them great. Here’s how I have used it so far.

I capture screenshots of the app/website I want to send feedback on and then import them into Ember (which I wrote a review about last week). From here I drag them out of Ember onto Napkin, where all the images are thrown onto a new canvas. Here it is simply a matter of selecting the appropriate tool to point to, zoom, annotate, etc. different parts of the image. One of the best parts is how unnecessary clicks and steps have been eliminated. Arrows are created not by clicking a start point and an end point, but by drawing a line. In order to write a note you just start typing, without first picking fonts, location or color (these things can be changed after the fact). It’s all the little efficiencies and well considered design decisions that add up to create a great experience.

If Napkin seems like something you might find useful, learn more at their website or pick it up from the App Store.