Adobe’s Project Firefly Simplifies Custom App Development

Need to Know

• A new framework from Adobe will let developers more easily build custom apps, simplify data collection, and access a new collection of libraries and tools.
• Project Firefly, the cornerstone of Adobe’s new tools, relies heavily on automation to help developers quickly develop apps for any business need, as more companies pivot to prioritizing digital engagement.
• Adobe is also launching a new tool, React Spectrum, to help developers incorporate accessible design.

Analysis

Adobe has launched a new set of tools to help developers more quickly and seamlessly build a variety of projects for businesses, as the pandemic has led to a more urgent need for functional, accessible online presences for a variety of merchants and companies.

On September 28, Adobe announced the new tools as part of its Developer Live conference. The new functions include Project Firefly, which allows developers to quickly build custom apps by incorporating a higher level of automation than was previously available in Adobe’s app-development tools.

According to Jason Woosley, Adobe’s VP of commerce product and platform, the new tools create “an extensibility framework that reduces the boilerplate that a developer would need to get started working with the Experience Cloud, and extends that into the customizations that we know every implementation eventually needs to differentiate the storefront experience, the website experience or whatever customer touch point as these things become increasingly digital.”

Project Firefly will also make it possible for developers with limited app-building experience to easily build some parts of an application for a business.

Additionally, Adobe is aware that an increased emphasis on digital commerce has led to a greater need for streamlined data collection and analysis. The new Adobe Experience Platform Web and Mobile SDKs, which can be leveraged by Adobe Experience Cloud applications, is the first open platform that allows brands to consolidate data from across their various digital mediums. This, in turn, allows developers to input data to first- or third-party destinations quickly and seamlessly.

“Developers are a crucial part of any organization’s success as they are often the ones solving some of the most complex business problems,” Woosley said. “It’s important that we continue focusing on the developer experience and fostering improved design collaboration, allowing developers to create exceptional end-to-end customer experiences.”

Another significant announcement at Adobe Developer Live was the introduction of React Spectrum, a new tool that will ensure developers are building fully accessible digital properties. This open-source collection of libraries will help ensure developers are creating properties across multiple mediums—from desktop to mobile—that meet high UI standards for consistency and usability across the board.

Project Firefly is currently available as a developer preview, and several React Spectrum components and data-connection SDKs are also now live. Adobe says additional tools and features will be added to its developer toolkits in the coming months.