Flux

Website design used to only be the province of experienced developers who knew the ins and out of coding languages; and as site design became more complicated, so did the barrier to entry. Flux is part of a cottage industry of programs that automate the sort of coding that goes on beneath the surface of a website and allow aspiring designers of vastly varying experience levels create an elegant looking website without having to understand a lick of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. Flux calls the core of their new user experience the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Engine, and it's accurately named. The interface is simple enough that anyone with a basic understanding of modern applications can learn the fundamentals quickly. Images and components can be dragged to fit wherever you need on the page and then stretched to fit using the handles on the sides and corners. You can even manipulate complex CSS elements in this manner and create non-traditional clipping paths to create sophisticated elements that are responsive to the demands of the user. Flux even allows you to prioritize the mobile elements of your site by emphasizing smaller and more responsive design on your site. Flux draws from two of the most popular frameworks - Bootstrap and Skeleton - and it's fully compatible with HTML and CSS. That means you can drag templates from other sources and use them as a basis for your Flux site. If the WYSIWYG Engine was all that Flux had to offer, it would be useful (if somewhat limiting). What's especially clever about Flux though is how it adapts to the growing knowledge base of its user. A fully functioning code editor is included in Flux, and since both code snippets and WYSWIWYG elements coordinate seamlessly together, you can easily use pieces of either as you see fit. This makes it a great introductory tool, easing new users into the fundamentals of layout and design, introducing them to the standards of coding, and allowing them to learn at their own pace without having to worry about major knowledge gaps getting in their way. What's even cooler is the assistance built right into the Flux platform. The code context function allows you to identify a piece of code and learn more about it. For instance, highlighting a color code tag in HTML pulls up a color wheel, and clicking the wheel allows you to change the code on the fly. Similarly, identifying a style tag can present you with all the options that can fit within that space. It's a useful mechanism both for new users learning the ins and outs of coding and seasoned pros who need a little refresher now and again. It might not win any converts from the most experienced coders, but Flux is a great introductory design app that continues to have value throughout the learning process.