10 prototype development tools for Interactive Design

The so-called "to do a good job, you must first sharpen your weapon." Although the Xiaomi + rifle can defeat the enemy, If Zhu Zhe has a tank and armor unit, isn't it easier to settle on Annan?

Some people like axure and Photoshop, and some like hand-drawn tools. Robert also saw the Interactive Prototype directly created by Excel, which not only allowed layout, it also has the main link and jump functions, and is quite admired. Tools are just a means to achieve your goals. Therefore, you can choose tools based entirely on your habits and convenience. Of course, some companies require the same tool to facilitate communication and reuse between different designers.

The following are only tools that I have used and think are worth recommending. I will try my best to write out the convenience and disadvantages. Of course, if you find some shortcomings or many other supplements, feel free to contact me.

1. axure RP (Rapid Prototyping)

Axure (pronounced ack-Sure) is undoubtedly the most popular prototype development tool, it helps the site or software designer to quickly build a staring prototype (flow chart and line diagram) through components ), you can also define reusable components, dynamic panels, and a wide range of scripts to create dynamic demo files with basic functions or page logic.

Axure draws on the office interface to help users get started quickly. It also provides a wide range of component style changes, allowing users to create interfaces with low fidelity, high fidelity, and even close to the actual effect. However, axure's rich script modes allow you to quickly complete interaction between interface elements, such as links, state switching, and dynamic changes, this allows axure to generate prototypes that are very similar to real products. On the other hand, axure can import component libraries created by others, so that axure can meet the design requirements of most types of products.

However, axure still has a headache: It is unfriendly to Chinese support. When inputting a small part of components at noon, we often need to repeat the switching input method like luck, undermining the user experience of our designers.

Axure is still the preferred prototype tool for Interaction designers.

2. Microsoft Office Visio

Visio was acquired by Microsoft in 2000 and became a component in the office2003 kit in 2002. Its latest version is 2007. The reason why Visio can be recommended is that it has a wide range of applicability, from the site interface, database model, to the layout map to the process flow chart, visio provides the corresponding component libraries and templates for high-speed creation.

Compared with axure, Visio is more suitable for production or process design in traditional industries, or descriptions of information, data, and processes in software and Internet industries, rather than web interfaces. Because its web-based component library is still less than the concept library, and its form and structure are more similar to the graphic tools in word, the prototype development efficiency is insufficient.

3. balsamiq mockups

This Adobe AIR runtime-based tool is truly appealing. The hand-drawn style component style is rough and allows you to create prototype files close to hand-painted paper. It provides rich hand-drawn web frequently used components, including frequently used HTML controls and some combination controls, such as multimedia controllers, tabs, lists, and iPhone interface components.

Mockups is most worth noting that most of its components can be customized, and its support for Chinese is also good (choose View> Use System fonts ).

4. mockflow

The biggest difference between mockflow and the above tools is that mockflow is an online service developed based on Adobe Flex technology and provides similar functions and even richer components as balsamiq mockups, although its component customization is not powerful enough, its default component library style is suitable for building commercial product prototypes. One of the features that I love is the template, which can be set based on any page template for new page design.

Compared with other template tools, mockflow has a very special feature. Web-based storage can be opened online on random computers and shared by others at a high speed at the same time, it also collects online feedback, which is suitable for the prototype design exchange between virtual teams.

Although the basic account of the online service can only create a file, there is no limit on the number of pages for a single file, so it is basically enough to use.

5. penpencil sketch

Penpencil is a Firefox-based extension component. After installation, you can open the penpencil drawing panel in the Firefox tool menu. Functions are simpler than functions, and can only be used as an auxiliary description of daily simple work. The default components provided are all based on software projects. Therefore, they are more suitable for building simple interfaces for Windows desktop programs, or for providing the main page functions. They are not suitable for serious prototype development, but fortunately, it is small and lightweight, so that you can easily drag or copy elements from the web page to the current canvas. This is also one of the conveniences brought about by the installation of penpencil in Firefox.

Many other tools...

The prototype development tools listed above are frequently used and discussed by Interaction designers in China. However, there are actually a lot of software similar to axure, the following are some simple instructions:

6. GUI Design Studio

This is a really powerful prototype creation tool. I didn't recommend it because I have not actually experienced it, however, there is no impulse to try at the project-level interface design, but from the official site and video demonstration, the operation mode of this software is very different from the previous prototype tool. Axure is mostly a page-based prototype design that is very useful for web sites, but it is a little tedious for the flow design of the software interface. GUI Design Studio has a different path. It directly creates an action flow by establishing an association between elements. In the video demonstration, this greatly improves the efficiency of software interface prototype building.

7. Prototype composer

Serena provides a free prototype development tool with powerful functions. It provides a document template, prototype tool, and development process control based on the main processes of project management. This software has a good development philosophy, this tool is used to meet the communication and decision-making in all stages of the project development process. However, the learning and use costs of software are higher than that of middleware. It may take a lot of time to understand all the functions. In addition, the efficiency and stability of the software still need to be improved. During the trial process, errors and responses are repeatedly stopped.

8. lucid spec

The lucid spec, launched by elegance technology, is a prototype tool that is very similar to pencil, but provides many other controls. Only lucid spec emphasizes the function of generating clean instruction documents, which may be applicable to the active generation of standard redundancy by most prototype tools, to be honest, the prototype interface provided by lucid spec is too simple, and the generated instruction documents have not seen any improvements to the optimization. Video Introduction

9. irise Professional Edition

Compared with other prototype tools, irise provides the sample data function, which is similar to a sample database in an Excel table and can directly obtain data in the sample database through interface elements, the generated prototype can even update dynamic data.

10. Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader? Yes. In fact, no matter what tool can create graphics and text, it can be used for prototype development. Because prototype itself is a simulation or simulation of business logic and functional interfaces, so what is the reason for not using the PDF format? Boxandarrow's article PDF prototype reminds us that all prototype tools are just tools, not the design itself.

There are also many prototype tools. In this article, you can compare them with many other tools that can be used for prototype development.

 

10 prototype development tools for Interactive Design