A very important part of UX design process is creation of wireframes and prototypes. This post will take you through the list of best tools for UX designers that are available online today.
So what are the best tools available for UX Designers? That’s a tricky question that can spark many discussions! Here are some of my favourite tools to start with.
Sketch
Sketch is the OG of element-based digital design.
Its gain in market share was one of the reasons that Adobe released XD.
Sketch has a clean and easy-to-use interface that’ll make it easy for you to create nice-looking mock-ups. Collaboration is an issue though — especially since Sketch works on macOS only.
If you’d like to know more, see this in-depth comparison between Adobe XD and Sketch.
Availability: macOS only
Pricing: Starts at $99/year
Applause
Applause is another platform to source usability testing participants.
As a premium player on the market, it takes a hands-on approach and provides you with a qualified UX expert to help you with your usability study.
Availability: Web
Pricing: Upon request
Craft
Craft, a plugin from InVision, works right alongside what you might be doing in Photoshop or Sketch, with a sync function that updates what you’re working on. Along with this time-saving feature, Craft offers everything you need for prototyping and collaboration. Changes in styling, edits, and other tweaks are updated across the board so that everyone is referring to and working from the same version of a project.
Craft sets itself apart from other UI design tools with its placeholder content. You get access to both Getty and iStock photos, letting you fill your layout with better visuals. And if there’s data in your layout, you can use your own or bring it in from other sources. Not many UI design tools let you fill your mockups with more meaningful content. This special feature of Craft gives your mockups a more accurate representation of what a final design might look like.
Adobe XD
It’s hard to knock Adobe off of their status as royalty in design software — their kingdom of design products reigns in the creative cloud. Adobe XD offers vector-based user interface tools for creating prototypes and mockups with an interface that’s familiar to anyone who has used other Adobe products. This, along with real-time collaboration, makes it a go-to for many UI designers.
Adobe XD has many sophisticated tools for UI designers, but it is also stocked with what designers need to whip up interactions and other dynamic elements that can be integrated into prototypes or mockups. It’s one of the rare design platforms that can combine different disciplines together, without anything lacking.
Marvel
Marvel
Marvel is an all-in-one design tool that offers tools for design and wireframing, through the prototyping to user testing stages. The software is incredibly easy to use, making it perfect for quickly generating prototypes and designing simple and effective user interfaces.
While Marvel has tools for each stage of the design process, its main focus is on prototyping. Users can implement gestures, import designs, add screen elements, and do everything else they need to create functioning prototypes at speed. While not as sophisticated as other tools on this list, it’s a top choice for new designers and developers looking for a tool that can get them up and running quickly.
Marvel works on: Browser, iOS, and Android apps
Pricing: Free plan available for a single user and project, Pro plan comes in at €9/month
Framer
Framer
Framer, formerly known as Framer X, is a fantastic tool for working on screen design and creating high-fidelity prototypes. Framer is known for having somewhat of a learning curve by requiring a basic level of CSS and HTML code knowledge for aspects like interactions and animations. However, final prototypes made with Framer are about as close to a final product that a prototype can get.
While the prototyping tool is Framer’s core feature, it has also been developing a range of other tools, including wireframing, and visual design. It’s even developed some basic tools for user testing, which makes Framer a useful all-in-one tool at a mid-range price.
Framer works on: Browser (free) and macOS (Pro)
Pricing: Free for up to 3 projects, then $19 per editor/month for Pro plan
FlowMapp
FlowMapp
FlowMapp offers a range of tools built to help with UX/UI design, as well as tools for communication, collaboration, and content planning. Focusing on the UX tools, FlowMapp helps to plan the UI and UX of apps, digital products, and websites with their flowchart tool and even offers user research functionalities.
The sitemap tool is super easy to use, letting users collaborate and create individual pages and plan the content and unique page goal for each of them.
Finally, FlowMapp’s service branches out into other useful services, such as their Personas feature which allows users to build buyer personas. This makes FlowMapp a solid option for small teams and does help to keep the teams on the same page, potentially improving user experience.
Flowmapp works on: Browsers
Pricing: Pro accounts $15/month, with a basic free plan available
Proto.io
Proto.io
Proto.io is another quality service that enables UX/UI designers to create high-functioning prototypes while remaining fairly friendly to beginners. This combination is not easy to pull off, but Proto.io does it brilliantly, creating final products that work and feel like a finished product.
It’s particularly popular with students due to its smooth learning curve, while also providing a wide array of tools to start putting together interactions within the prototype. With Proto.io, designers can plan, create, and even test hi-fi prototypes, while also allowing team collaboration throughout the process.
Proto.io works on: Browsers
Pricing: Freelancer account starts at $24/month
Conclusion
Designers are creative thinkers who always stay ahead in the race when it comes to finding the best tools to improve their creative process in various ways. As a UX designer in particular, you have so many fields in your work where you can use these tools to enhance your workflow and help you save time.