Balsamiq mockups jira9/3/2023 ![]() Prototyping Tools (Axure, Adobe XD, Figma, UXPin, Proto.io) Viewing and testing tools in particular benefit from being used in combination with Balsamiq because they often don't have the capability to create UI designs. Many designers start with Balsamiq and then move to a different tool once the final design has been agreed upon. It is intended to show work in progress, concepts, or early-stage wireframes. ![]() These tools are useful if you already have screen mockups and you are interested in showing them to clients or testing them with customers.īalsamiq can be used for testing and presenting your work, but the idea behind it is not to look or behave like a final product. A popular tool in this category is InVision, which allows you to upload wireframes or mockups created with another tool (as image files) and add "hot spots" for connecting them together. There is another category of tools that is focused more on showing designs and getting feedback on them than creating them. Hosted Viewers and Testing Tools (InVision, Marvel, Flinto) And because there is often only one person on each project that knows the tool, the process can slow down when changes need to be made. The trade-off is that they take more time to learn and master, can be expensive, and put the focus more on the appearance than the experience. Using these tools, you can fine-tune things like fonts, shadows, borders, and colors. For user interface design tasks, images created using these tools are frequently used in the final product. High-fidelity graphics tools like Photoshop and Sketch can be used for a wide range of graphics tasks, including photo manipulation, graphic and logo design, and high-fidelity (i.e., "pixel perfect") screen mockups. Generic Visual Design Tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch) See our guide on how to choose a wireframing tool. If you are trying to decide between wireframing tools we have a list of questions to ask to guide you in the process. They are meant to be quick and easy for anyone to use regardless of their background. Wireframing tools typically allow you to drag and drop user interface components on to a canvas to create a rough sketch of your software or website idea. Like Balsamiq, many of them have free trials, so feel free to try them out. There are other wireframing tools with features that are similar to Balsamiq. ![]() Other Wireframing Tools (Moqups, Pidoco, WireframePro) We find that many non-"designer-types" (e.g., people on the business or marketing side of the aisle) often start with generic diagramming tools because they already have them and then switch to Balsamiq when they start creating UI wireframes more regularly. This makes it much easier to use for UI design. Powerpoint and Keynote are obviously designed for creating slides for presentations, but can be turned into UI design tools by leveraging their built-in drawing tools.īalsamiq is similar to these tools in that it has pre-built shapes that you can drag and drop onto a canvas and doesn't take much time to learn, although Balsamiq only contains shapes and controls for user interfaces. You can also design floor plans, create process and flow charts, and many other kinds of diagrams with them. Tools like Visio and OmniGraffle can be used for a broad range of diagramming tasks, including creating wireframes (especially using UI stencil kits). ![]() Generic Diagramming Tools (Visio, Keynote, OmniGraffle, Gliffy, Lucidchart) For more in-depth comparisons, see the links at the end of this article. We don't have every tool listed here, and don't know all of their features, but here's some of what we do know. General categories of user interface design tools are listed below, including specific products highlighted in each category. It intentionally has "just enough" prototyping capabilities, but not more. It is optimized for communicating design concepts and generating ideas in the early stages of the software process. Here is an example of a "wireframe" created in Balsamiq, shown in two different "styles" (more examples here). It is used by people in a wide range of roles in the software industry, such as founders, data analysts, product managers, marketers, developers, and of course UX designers. More specifically, Balsamiq is a low-fidelity wireframing tool that can be used to quickly create an informal visual representation of any kind of software interface (desktop, web, mobile, etc.). :)īalsamiq is, generally-speaking, a User Interface Design tool. We also wrote an article comparing Balsamiq to pencil and paper, our #1 competitor. Note: You should also refer to this article that answers some more general questions about our tool, its capabilities, and our business: How to choose a wireframing / prototyping tool. ![]()
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