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Ask HN: What's your favorite UI Mockup tool?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite UI Mockup tool?

#41

Post by sarcasmatron »

plainOldText wrote: post #12

Keynote for Mac. I love the fact it's so easy to use. And sometimes the mockups look so good you'll want to "lick them", to quote Steve Jobs. :))

I've spent a lot of money (mine and clients') on different tools, and I've settled on Keynote. It covers 95% of my needs and I don't have to manage yet another tool.

Being able to sit in a meeting wireframing on Keynote is wonderful. Factor in another $15 for the iPad app and I'm cooking with gas.

Meetings get super-focused quickly when the participants can immediately see output.

I usually upload it to Google Docs post-meeting for the remote participants.

Protip: Save your mockup files as themes so that you can get to them quickly and easily.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite UI Mockup tool?

#42

Post by burnblue »

sgdesign wrote: post #18
jjcm wrote: post #5

Photoshop. I've become so accustomed over the years to the tools/interface, that it's actually faster than pen/paper. Setting it up with common UI elements to drop in quickly makes mockups a breeze.

Photoshop for me as well, because I can then easily transition from the wireframe to the high-fidelity mockup. I much prefer it when the evolution is a continuous process, rather than being interrupted by switching software.

I used to feel that way, but when I began using separate framing software I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Having to start the design phase from scratch in a new program freed me from slavish adherence to the frames and allowed designs to progress further. Horses for courses though - I'm sure everyone has their own take.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite UI Mockup tool?

#44

Post by burnblue »

I've gone through a bunch - Illustrator to Balsamiq to Mockflow and now HotGloo. I like Mockflow and HotGloo (both online fee-based apps) because they offer:

(1) Master Pages (or at least Master Objects) to keep things DRY (2) a way for clients to view, navigate, and comment directly on the frames (3) a good balance: low-fi enough to avoid seeming like a design pass, but hi-fi enough that each object is distinct and recognizable (4) a good selection of resizable, customizable widgets (5) an environment separate from the design file. Unlike many, I actually prefer to start from scratch with the design - it frees me from conforming too tightly to the frames, and leaves open the possibility for further iteration. Also, it's handy when passing frames to a visual designer - they can use whatever design tool they like.

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