Adobe Muse: Web Authoring For Designers

Released as a preview or early beta, Adobe Muse is a code-free tool for building websites. Muse uses a drag-and-drop interface to make it possible to construct a site’s entire architecture, build and design pages, and add rich content without having to know any HTML, CSS or JavaScript.

When words like "code-free Web authoring" are thrown around, people tend to think of very basic WYSIWYG tools designed for novice users. But this is not the focus of Adobe.

Instead, the target audience of Muse appears to be graphic and print designers who are comfortable in tools like InDesign. This means that, while Muse allows for Web authoring without the need to know code, many novice users will still find the interface somewhat complex. However, graphic design professionals should be right at home working in Muse.

As an early preview, Muse is missing a lot of functionality. Templates to aid in initial site design and more widgets would be especially helpful. Much of the core interface also has an unfinished feel to it.

The target audience of Muse is also a little unclear. Businesses that already use Adobe’s CreativeSuite can have designers work in InDesign and other graphics tools, and then use the round-trip features of the suite to send content to Dreamweaver and Flash. Muse seems to be mainly of use to designers who have the need to build websites but don’t want to make the investment in additional Web tools.

The preview of Muse is currently free. According to the Adobe site, the eventual plan is for Muse to besold on a subscription basis. Those wanting to try out the free Muse web design tool can download it at http://muse.adobe.com.