For the second year running, Khoi Vinh of subtraction.com is asking for designers/developers to fill out a survey detailing what tools they use in their day-to-day workflow. I'm probably not the true, intended participant, as it would be hard to argue that I am actively developing anything at the moment (dabbling here aside), but I've followed the process and outcome of the 2015 survey with interest and wanted to get a more hands-on feel for it this time around.
If you are at all interested, I'd definitely recommend it and you can do so here. Personally, I was a little disappointed by the lack of scope. The results of last year's input were both insightful and very well presented, but now I've actually seen how those results were garnered I feel they're certainly a little biased.
My main issue was the lack of personal detail requested. To be clear, the survey absolutely does not require email addresses, personal names, locations (outside of country) etc. and, correctly, refrains from these clear breaches of privacy. However, I would have though that determining the OS or main software environment people use would be fairly crucial. Similarly, asking what software you use right now is great, but I'd personally love to see what people want to use as well.
I'm a prime example of the warped outcome you can get without these details (if you ignore the fact that I'm barely an example, that is). My answers will likely group me in the box of "outdated dinosaur"; someone who is using the same tools now that they were a decade ago. Though this is largely the case (iPad aside), the reality, however, is that this isn't my choice. I choose to use Windows as my core OS; I would do even if I was still actively freelancing as my main income source. But that means I can't choose to move away from Adobe - at all. Would I preferentially wireframe in Sketch? Absolutely! But that isn't an option because Sketch, like the vast majority of tools being surveyed, isn't available to the vast majority of the world.
The gap between innovation and accessibility in the design world is becoming truly enormous, especially now even the iPad is undergoing large scale price hikes. Unfortunately, I don't feel it will be possible for Subtraction's survey to adequately reflect that issue, which I feel is a missed opportunity. Personally, I'd love to see how much of an impact this gulf is having in the West - it scares me to think how negatively impactful it may be elsewhere in the world!
