Category — Wireframe Softwares

Through prefab stencils (e.g. radio buttons, links, navigation items, controls etc.) interface designers can create clickable and animated web or software interfaces within minutes. Without any programming skills, interface designers can focus on the web concept and use cases, site structures and the overall layout of the site, instead of getting lost in details that will later be overhauled anyway.

The pidoco° screens design software consists of three main modules which complement each other perfectly. Together, they enhance the interface design process and optimize the general workflow in all stages of collaborative web design.

Digital prototypes are quickly sketched with the Prototype Creator (just by drag&drop) and can later easily be shared and reviewed by colleagues, test users or clients. If there is need for even more in-depth feedback on individual aspects of the web concept, just use the clickable wireframes to perform a easy to set up remote usability test where moderator and test user are connected remotely by a shared screen and an integrated phone. All modules are aimed to increase productivity of the interface design process and ease communication within the team.

But even if screen designs have already been made in some high-fidelity graphics software (e.g. InDesign, pidoco° can add value to the process by bringing interactivity to static screens. Adding ‘click areas’ to the finished screenshots enhance the collaboration and interaction capabilities of a former static screenshot. Colleagues, clients and test users can now easily be integrated in the developers team and online discussions can be held. Just like web conferencing, but with real-time editing never seen before!

Our conclusion of wireframing software: It’s got the look and feel of pen and paper, but adds interactivity (making wireframes clickable) and accelerates developing speed through re-usable elements and layers. Many (real-time) collaboration features enable interface designers to new ways to work with higher efficiency, leaving more time for the creative process that really counts.

Through prefab interface elements (e.g. radio buttons, links, navigation items, controls etc.) information architects can create clickable and animated web or software interfaces within minutes. Without any programming skills, interface designers can focus on the web concept and use cases, site structures and the overall layout of the site, instead of getting lost in details that only matter at a later stage of the project.

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9241-XX tries to standardize the usability of designs for human computer interaction. In brief it says, that every user interface (such as websites, machine controls etc.) should follow best practices in effectiveness, efficiency and contextual user satisfaction.
On such an abstract level, almost everybody agrees, that this might be of help, keeping these aspects in mind when designing user interfaces (or at least it doesn’t ‘damage’ creativity). But do you think it is worth further narrowing the usability standards? And if so, to what extend? Isn’t usability and user experience in the eye of the beholder, depending on your target audience?

So do ISO norms on usability help you as an interaction or interface designer or do usability standards limit you? Does that mean that there is a best practice for a website, that there is the best website for every single purpose? What about innovative interface controls and usability design patterns? And does Apple follow usability standards or does Apple create them?

Personally I haven’t made up my mind whether there is a contradiction of norms and creativity (e.g. design) or not. So what do you think? What are your experiences with these ISO norms?

Our conclusion of Rapid Digital Prototyping: It’s got the look and feel of Rapid Paper Prototyping, but adds interactivity (making wireframes animated) and enhances developing speed through re-usable elements and layers. Many (real-time) collaboration modules enable interface designers to new ways to work with much better time allocation, leaving more time for the creative process that really counts.

Through prefab stencils (e.g. radio buttons, links, navigation items, controls etc.) GUI designers can create clickable and animated web or software interfaces in no time. Without any programming skills, interface designers can focus on the web concept and use cases, site structures and the overall layout of the site, instead of getting lost in details that distract from the overall concept of the site.

The pidoco° screens design software consists of three main modules which complement each other perfectly. Together, they enhance the interface design process and optimize the general workflow in all stages of interactive web design.
Digital prototypes are quickly sketched with the Prototype Creator (just by drag&drop) and can later easily be shared and reviewed by colleagues, test users or clients. If there is need for even more in-depth feedback on individual aspects of the use cases, just use the digital interfaces to perform a easy to set up remote usability test where moderator and test user are connected remotely by a shared screen and an integrated phone. All modules are aimed to increase productivity of the interface design process and ease communication within the team.

For the people who are into screen design, Rapid Paper Prototyping is an old hat! But ever considered doing interface design on screen?

With pidoco’s web-based prototyping software, interaction designers and web developers can save valuable time, easily integrate other stakeholders and build better interfaces for the internet.

Rapid Paper Prototyping has already been established as THE way to get a web-application started. The basic concepts of the layout will be put on paper and tossed around in the team. This prototype will then be put through a refinement process by implementing feedback from different stake holders. This paper prototype will finally act as a rough guide for the whole project – from beginning to the end (but is there a real end?). Some screen-designers even use these very limited paper prototypes for running usability tests. Retrieving problems in the use cases in the prototyping phase can save a lot of money, since later changes in the so called ‘finished’ web project are minimized.

However, there are several drawbacks to Rapid Paper Prototyping.  Paper prototypes are difficult to add to the document servers and also difficult to share between team-members. Scanning paper prototypes and making them ‘clickable’ for web testing is also a time consuming task as we all know!

That is why many companies create their sketches directly in MS PowerPoint or MS Visio and have them distributed to the relevant sources. True, that way one can share the screens more effectively but it is not really more dynamic than making copies of a piece of paper handing it to the team. The prototypes still do not show the real capabilities for test user excitement:  links, dynamic menus and work-flows etc. cannot be reproduced effectively and need to be explained individually in long paragraphs. Again, more time and effort has to be invested to get the message across.
A small company from Berlin, Germany has noticed this problem and made it their duty to tackle it by providing a really nice web-based interface design software.