Comixcraft: A Web Comics Editor

During the summer semester 2024, the students of the App Development Lab were asked to develop a product as a mobile-optimised end-user application. This task was performed in teams where each team had to manage their project, workload, and time to deliver a production-ready app by the end of the semester. Four possible projects were offered, and it was up to each team to decide which one to work on. One of the project concepts was a Web Editor for Comics.

Objective

Comixplain is an example of a solution designed at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences to engage students with scientific subjects by using comics as didactic material. Based on the Comixplain project, several comic books were created and shared as open-source material, free to use, adapt, share, and even sell to make it accessible and to create a community around it. Comic books and graphic assets are made available in the Comixplain repository, allowing anyone without drawing skills to use our illustrations. However, the repository of illustrations is large and hard to navigate. To democratise its use and make it more accessible, a solution was needed to support users in easily creating and sharing educational comics.

The goal of the students' project was to create a simple editor for comic strips. The editor should support users in creating and sharing panels and strips quickly and easily. Additionally, it was recommended that the solution be developed as a web app to be integrated into the existing Comixplain repository. Despite being web-based, the application should be responsive and optimised for mobile use. Target users should include Comixplain stakeholders, school teachers, university lecturers, and students.

Project steps

To achieve this goal, the students proceeded with a user-centred approach, involving students and lecturers in different stages of the editor's conception and development. Each student performed a specific role in the project, including design, development, QA, and management. The students implemented Scrum and reported on product increments to their project manager every week. They also had the opportunity to meet with other students and lecturers periodically during the semester to report the intermediate status of their application and obtain feedback.

Outcomes

The main outcome of the project is an open platform for editing and sharing comics. The platform does not require a login and works well on both small and large screens, making it easy to create comics on the go. When opening the editor, the user can navigate through an open illustration catalogue, including characters, facial expressions, objects, speech bubbles, and more. The user can then select an illustration, add it to the panel, and manipulate it as needed. The editor also allows users to write text and download the resulting comics as a PNG file.

When presenting their platform at the Projects’ Vernissage of the summer semester 2024, the students were awarded a prize in their category.

The editor is currently available online and can be used free of charge.