Category — Wireframe Tools

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.

Developing user-centered software applications is a dynamic and iterative process of designing and testing. But given the fact that the drafted interface concepts might be overhauled anyway after testing, the trade-off between creating high-fidelity prototypes and investing as little time as possible in something that will be thrown away has to be made.

This trade-off really asks for a fast visualization method and therefore some clever designers and programmers invented Rapid Paper Prototyping. Quick and dirty interface prototypes are sketched with pen and paper to be tested (and re-designed) with all the limitations physical paper brings along.

But today, in the digital age, Rapid Paper Prototyping has grown up! The era of digital interface prototyping has begun. With digital wireframing tools you can create interface mockups by drag and drop from prefabricated stencils (elements like checkboxes, navigation bars etc.). Unlike paper, these digital interface prototypes are completely interactive with animated navigation, real type-in form fields and linking between all pages through buttons and text links.

The advantages of such a wireframing software are obvious: through the interaction features you get a much better impression of how your concepts work with the user and whether all possible use cases have been considered. Findings from user tests can be applied easily since the interface sketches are not fixed forever on paper, but interchangeable with re-useable layers, stencils and link references. And those already mentioned prefabricated stencils accelerate the sketching of interface concepts even more.

Being digital or even completely web-based, some interface design tools also allow you to perform remote user testing through expert reviews and one-to-one user tests with shared screens and integrated audio/video communication. The test sessions with all annotations can be documented right within the tool (in case of the one-to-one test session they get recorded on-screen) and a specification can be exported as Word doc.

Developing user-centered software applications is a dynamic and iterative process of designing and testing. But given the fact that the drafted interface concepts might be overhauled anyway after testing, the trade-off between creating high-fidelity prototypes and investing as little time as possible in something that will be thrown away has to be made.

This trade-off really asks for a fast visualization method and therefore some clever designers and programmers invented Rapid Paper Prototyping. Quick and dirty interface prototypes are sketched with pen and paper to be tested (and re-designed) with all the limitations physical paper brings along.

But today, in the digital age, Rapid Paper Prototyping has grown up! The era of digital interface prototyping has begun. With digital wireframing tools you can create interface mockups by drag and drop from prefabricated stencils (elements like checkboxes, navigation bars etc.). Unlike paper, these digital interface prototypes are completely interactive with animated navigation, real type-in form fields and linking between all pages through buttons and text links.