SMARTDRAW IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT:

Software Design Simplified

Problem
David Vaught, President of A O Consulting, a programming, systems design, and web development company, was losing his patience. He was looking for a quick and easy way to draw flowcharts, data flow diagrams, and object-oriented software schematics.

Vaught was familiar with Visio^® and Rational Rose, but he found them limiting and very difficult to use.

"I wanted something that wasn't as restrictive and time consuming," said Vaught. "Something that would allow me to do more than flow-charting and bubble-charting."

He was also having problems sharing his Visio^® drawings with other users.

"Visio makes it hard to share your drawings with others, especially people who don't have the program," said Vaught. "And if you use different templates, the drawings got all skewed. It just made things very difficult."

What he needed was a program that allowed him to draw the diagrams he needed quickly and easily, and he wanted to be able to share them with others without any headaches.

That's when he found SmartDraw.

Solution
Vaught was immediately impressed with the functionality of the program. SmartDraw includes hundreds of ready-made symbols and templates for all of the most popular software design symbologies, including UML, ERD, Nassi-Shneiderman, and others. Users simply drag-and-drop the ready-made symbols to create perfect diagrams in minutes.

To help users get started, the SmartDraw.com website offers a series of tutorials especially for software designers, teaching them how to create everything from graphic user interfaces (GUIs) to several different object-oriented design methodologies.

"I couldn't believe how easy the program was to use," said Vaught. "It just made everything so simple."

He was also impressed with SmartDraw's power.

"I love the layering features," said Vaught. "I tend to layer a lot because it helps me isolate things I am looking for. Sometimes the diagrams get very complex and busy, and layering allows you to view only the specific things you are interested in."

Results
These days, Vaught uses SmartDraw for software design several times a week. It allows him to complete his work very quickly... much faster than he could with Visio^®.

"SmartDraw saves me a ton of time," said Vaught. "If I had to do my work in Visio^®, it would take me twice as long. That's if I didn't get frustrated and give up!"

Vaught finds SmartDraw not only quicker to work in, but more flexible as well. In short, it allows him to do more in less time.

"I always found myself being limited with Visio^® or Rational Rose," said Vaught. "SmartDraw let me do everything that I needed to do!"

SmartDraw also yielded a surprising, yet beneficial by-product. Vaught had purchased a new building, and he needed a way to create floor plans. SmartDraw's Floor Plans & Facilities symbol collection was the perfect solution.

"SmartDraw allowed me to quickly make all the floor plans for our new building," said Vaught. "I couldn't believe it. This single tool replaces my Visio^®…and my floor plan design tools."

The bottom line? Vaught says SmartDraw is a great investment. "I recommend it all of the time," said Vaught. "Keep up the great work!"