6 sets of apps to build my product design workflow

There are many tools, suitable for different people, as designers, my daily is to accept and discuss the requirements, dismantling tasks, design processes and interfaces, prototyping and dynamic and so on. Today I am going to tell you about the six sets of tools I have to work on every day, and they meet almost all my job demands, and the effect is tension pile.

　　interface and process design: Sketch + Axure + xmind

In daily work, the core design output relies on these three apps.

In the demand carding stage, the xmind is used to draw the brain map and flow chart, clear all the design nodes and present them. Xmind Free Edition features strong enough to support a variety of styles of graphics, and the threshold is very low, a little learning can immediately put into the actual work.

Interface and prototype design phase mainly rely on the famous Sketch and Axure, the former is better at page rendering, the latter is more focused on the logical relationship. In the company, because the relevant components are relatively complete, designers use any one that can quickly produce high-fidelity design drawings, and deal with complex business logic is also no problem.

Sketch's advantage is that if the output contains visual content, it provides more accurate information, coupled with very low learning costs, team development students also require master Sketch, so that designers do not need to mark and cut the map, greatly enhance the efficiency, focus on the design itself.

Earlier designers or product managers may be more Axure, after all, powerful enough to produce interactive prototypes. Because of the inconvenient use of external storage platforms, Axure's team function is the most irreplaceable for our teams: the ability to quickly upload a design to the server and share and view it for all team members. So even if designers use Sketch to design, they also need to put the output to the Axure server, facilitate collaboration.

　　Task management: wunerlist (wonderful list)

A long time ago, I was trying to manage my day-to-day tasks using a fantastic list in my project, but I found that the requirements weren't that big. And after the internship in the company, found that the number of concurrent work is far more than my limit (my maximum number of threads is 3, is a period of time to allocate energy to three things is already the limit), often both design and communication, and multiple requirements exist at the same time, each cycle is very long. This time, the value of task management software is reflected.

Every time I have a new job requirement, I'll put it in the "tmall intern" folder and create multiple subtasks in the main task and write the address and notes on the relevant documents, so the tasks in this folder are the most important. And more fragmented tasks, such as what time to open the review, remember to remind the Product manager to provide data, or prepare the internal training of the information can be directly placed in the Inbox. At the beginning and end of each small piece of work, take a quick look at the to-do list, add the necessary updates, and clean up the small tasks that have been completed.

In addition, the wonderful list is also very good for recording, whether it is a regular communication or a meeting record. Last week, when I was negotiating with the product manager, a key point that was not written down in time, was soon forgotten by me, causing a lot of things to happen later. And slowly learn to record all the information in the software, you can liberate the brain, do not bother to remember those complex content, more focused on the work in front of.

The fantastic checklist also supports collaboration and can assign tasks and comment to each other. Setting reminders and expiration times is also very useful, and can basically cope with current work conditions. Finally, the product spans all platforms, no matter where I am, just look at the phone or computer and know what needs to be done now.

　　Mac Efficiency improvement: Paste + Alfred2 + dropshelf

Quantitative changes lead to qualitative change, the efficiency of each simple operation will greatly enhance the day-to-day work of the effectiveness.

Paste is a copy-and-paste management software that records all copied content (Pictures, text, files, and so on) and makes a quick call. In short, you can easily manage each copy of the content (I set the record 50 times). It is often necessary for designers to copy and paste components or copywriting, so it can really reduce many repetitive operations and improve efficiency. (I recommend to a running friend, she is more fondle admiringly ...)

Alfred2 is the most legendary efficiency artifact on the MAC platform, and simply retrieving and opening the document quickly saves me a lot of time and action every day, no matter what I do, I can open any file and App by option + space, compared to Spotlight The search is really too slow. After buying Powerpack, you can also use the more powerful workflow, the efficiency can be multiplied.

Dropshelf is the software I just purchased last week, and the core feature is to provide a small grid on the side of the desktop to hold a copy of the file and quickly open or drag it into the design when needed. If the Paste is mainly about copying and pasting content, that dropshelf service is the file relay, for example, I do in the internal learning group will be used in advance of the demo file to drag and drop to the screen edge of the small lattice, explained to a moment directly open or drag to the application, to avoid repeated in The Finder switch is very convenient.

　　Dynamic effect and interactive prototype: Pixate + Origami

Dynamic and prototype design software is too much, I try to go backwards, I am afraid there are no less than 10, and the last is selected pixate and origami as the only remaining design tools.

Pixate just announced a few days ago to join the Google,studio for free after the basic farewell to the Web side for editing the cumbersome and cotton, while also supporting Windows and Android devices. Pixate operation is very simple, learning cost is very low, basically through half a day to try to master the core operation method, and the following can focus on the realization of the effect of the way. Most of the effects are achieved without any problems, and by looking at a few of the official demos, it's easy to deal with even the complexity of the action, so it's a good fit for a lightweight prototype design tool. Under my influence, many designers in the team have started using pixate to produce simple demos to view and test the effects.

Compared with pixate, origami's steep learning curve is universally acknowledged, and to tell the truth, I would rather write code than touch origami. But its powerful code export function, meticulous to each design details of the dynamic and efficient ability to let people forget. Recently, I started a origami study group in the team, two to three times a week after work, I hope to study this software. At the same time, development students will also participate in learning, I am also trying to find design-development process in the balance point, so that the overall efficiency of the highest.

All in all, simple effects are implemented using pixate, and complex, need to fine-tune, and require code reuse of the dynamic use of origami.

　　Video screen and Demo: Quicktime + picgif

After the demo, in addition to take the real machine to the development of students or product managers to demonstrate, often also need to record the effect, made into GIF whether it is to send mail or put to the task management platform is easy enough. Tried a lot of video screen tools, the result is Apple's Quicktime with the clearest and most practical, recorded into MP4 or MOV files, import picgif software, you can easily convert video frame into GIF, and can freely adjust playback rate, frame number and so on.

One of the tips is that the demo animation may also need to have a contact ID to express the action the finger is doing. Pixate's video screen function is not clear enough, but can provide contact display, in the process of using Quicktime recording can achieve the most perfect effect.

　　File transfer and sharing: Pushbullet + Airdrop

Do product analysis or material collation, often need to screen on the phone or the iPad, I have one months have not clear how many shots I have saved in my phone, and the page tile is indeed a good way to see and contrast. I work with a Macbook, an iMac, two mobile phones and an iPad, so how can I easily transfer pictures from any device to another?

Apple's Airdrop is a very good choice, fast and the most I use. But Airdrop is often limited by distance (to use Bluetooth), and do not know whether the system, and sometimes can not find the device, so I also cooperated with the use of Pushbullet.

Pushbullet is also a cross-platform product, so Android devices can also be included in file sharing, which makes it easy to send information quickly and accurately to a designated device, and to view past information like a chat record.

Everyone can build a set of the most suitable for their own workflow, but also welcomed the message to share your toolbox, so that everyone's efficiency fly up.

Welcome to my micro-letter public number: ZHENLEI_PD, read pure original product design articles