Web designing industry is booming at a rapid speed as the demand for information online is increasing day after day. Before designing the actual website, creating the prototype of it is in trend since few years. This helps in identifying and avoiding the design/performance errors along with improving the overall design of the outcome. Prototypes are playing a vital role in designing a product or a website as it helps in improving the user experience.
What are prototyping tools?
Prototypes are the working model of system, product, application or a website. The prototypes are built to demonstrate overall look and performance of the developed end product i.e. a website, an app or a product. It is a part of the design process as it allows the team to review the site at the initial stages of the development. This process helps in improving the efficiency and also avoid any miscommunication at the later stages of the development. It also allows the team to identify the design flaws in the early states before investing too much time and resource in the process.
The prototyping/wireframing tools for the best outcome:
Prototyping is becoming so common as it promises quick payoffs. Every designer has his/her unique thoughts in designing the beautiful looking and attractive websites. There are many prototyping/wireframing tools to kick start every website development project. Here are some of the best tools that are sure to help the designers to prototype websites.
- InVision:
If you are looking for a simple and instinctive tool for prototyping a site, then InVision is what you would love to use. It helps create high-level prototypes with a clean and clear interface. All you need to do is to upload the PSD or png and mark hotspots that transform static images into interactive and clickable prototypes.
InVision – https://www.invisionapp.com/
- Justinmind:
It is commonly known as the all-in-one prototyping tool in the designers space. Justinmind helps create the web and mobile wireframes for a better understanding. It has an artboard in which using the art elements the designers needs to create a beautiful prototype. It also allows the users to add web interactions, mobile gestures, transitions and more as it has a huge library of elements.
Justinmind – http://www.justinmind.com/
- Axure:
In the information architecture and user experience communities, Axure is becoming the most-wanted prototyping tool. This tool has everything a designer needs to design and document a prototype or a wireframe. It offers end-to-end solutions to create wireframe models and document functional specifications. It is a flexible and an intuitive tool.
Axure – http://www.axure.com/
- Visio:
From the house of the tech giant – Microsoft – Visio is a powerful tool used by almost every professional designers. It helps in the diagrammatical documentation of prototyping the website. Visio has many add-on tools for prototyping betterment and clear display. Its principal focus is on creating the entire oolswireframe/prototype in a single go.
Visio – https://products.office.com/en-in/visio/flowchart-software
- Adobe Experience Design:
With a single interface, Adobe Experience Design software helps the users to creative interactive prototypes of websites and mobile applications. Switching between the prototypes and the design is comfortable, and also it offers direct copy/paste elements from other Adobe software like illustrator and more. The only problem with this tool is, it is available only for Mac systems and not for any other operating systems.
AED – http://www.adobe.com/products/experience-design.html
We hope that none of your top favorite tools weren’t missed on this list. If so, then let us know about the tools in the comments below.