Published: July 31, 2014
When it comes to solving problems in business, the most complex solution with all the bells and whistles is not always the right one. Though it sounds like a tongue twister from a Dr. Seuss book, Lippsy Ippsy offers a unique and simple solution to a common barrier in the design world – generating placement text, a.k.a. Lorem Ipsum.
When Envano designer, Josh Braun, got tired of typing up random blocks of “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit…” and did find a good placement text generator for his designs, the concept behind Lippsy Ippsy was born.
Historically, there hasn’t been a great way on the web to get randomly generated text. There are a handful of outlets and app-like plugins for platforms like PhotoShop, but many of them require downloads and updates and just aren’t user friendly.
So, Josh set out on a mission to build a web version of a Lorem Ipsum text generator that, not only solved a small problem in his daily work, but allowed him to experiment with multiple new web technologies; giving him me an opportunity to hone his skills outside of day-to-day design work.
What It Does
Inspired by Material Design philosophies, Lippsy Ippsy is a placeholder text generator designed primarily for designers who need temporary copy when they put together new designs. When you first visit LippsyIppsy.com, the site identifies and cookies you as a new user so it knows to take you through a unique and engaging on-boarding or explanation process.
From there, the interface is simple. All you need to do is specify whether or not you need copy in list or paragraph format, and hit refresh to generate around 50 different random paragraphs until you find the one to copy that best suits your needs.
Envano’s Philosophy Come To Life
Designed and launched in less than 4 weeks, Josh’s approach to Lippsy Ippsy took into account many of the philosophies used at Envano when it comes to solving a business problem. With a quick turn around time, Josh was able to set aside many of his envisioned features and really keep the site simple, offering only core functionality.
In working to solve a small problem, he was able to create a tool that was quick and easy for designers to access, get what they need, and leave. No need to clutter it was bells, whistles and options. “Too often, people over-complicate things in business in an attempt to display their intelligence, when in reality they end up pushing people away and ultimately losing credibility.”
On top of keeping it simple, Lippsy Ippsy was designed to solve a problem. All too often, people get caught up in the shiny new technology. You think you need to build a mobile app because everyone else is. But is that even where your audience is interacting? Don’t build something just to build it. Take into consideration the people and the process and only then will a solution arise and the technology come into play.
By Bill Zoelle, Chief Creative Officer
