István Csanady is the CEO and founder of Shapr3D. The 130+ strong company is on a mission to shake up the CAD industry with their innovative 3D modeling tool for industrial designers, product managers, and other design professionals.
So far, that mission is going well; their accolades include raising over $22 million funding, winning an Apple Design Award, and making Shapr3D a multi-platform tool.
We spoke to self-proclaimed 'Craft mega-fan' István about how he uses it for writing and why Craft has become his secret weapon for word-smithing.
When it comes to digital products, I am extremely picky.
I'm the kind of person who finds a UX flaw and throws my whole phone away. It's really, really hard to please me, so when my first impression of using Craft was 'oh this is a product that was designed for me' - that's really saying something.
It has all the teeny, tiny details that make a product not just good, but really fantastic.
It feels like a tool that works for me, rather than the other way around.
I don't have to spend a second thinking about anything except what I want to accomplish in the tool. I think that's rare.
Flow Time Minimization
István explains that it's Craft's 'invisibility' that resonates with him and allows him to just get work done, rather than get in the way.
In product design, there's a principle we call ‘flow time minimization’. You want to minimize the time you're spending with the tool, instead of actually just achieving what you want.
I think Craft has done an incredible job minimizing that time; it's really close to zero and that's truly remarkable. It's why I'm really excited about Craft.
The Cure for Writer's Block
István started using Craft for personal purposes before bringing it into his business life. Of Craft's many uses, what struck István most is how it makes him want to write.
As CEO, I have to write a lot: investor reports, memos to my team, strategy documents and plenty more.
But, sometimes I would find that I was just unable to write. The words would not come from my fingers. Somehow, I just got stuck.
I genuinely don't know how Craft achieved it but every single time I got writer's block in Google Docs I would switch to Craft and - magically - I could write immediately.
Craft has got my words flowing so many times; I recently got stuck writing a strategy document. After a week of struggling, I tried again but this time in Craft and suddenly I started to write like magic.
I really don't know how that is possible but it's true. Craft somehow makes me feel that it's easier to write. That's why I say that I find Craft a pretty magical experience.
A Native Writing Experience
István constantly switches between his iPad and Mac, and Craft's native experience for both is another reason that Craft works well at Shapr3D.
At Shapr3D we are using Craft for pretty much everything that requires writing.
For example, the CTO is using it to write personal notes, and notes from interviews, or meetings.
The Shapr3D team just loves the experience, the philosophy, the culture and the design principles behind Craft.
They are very similar to the values we have and appreciate when it comes to product design at Shapr3D.
Craft Makes Words Flow
Finally, when asked how he describes Craft to those yet unfamiliar with it, István replies:
For me - Craft is a frictionless writing experience.
It's an invisible tool that pulls the words from my fingers.
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