Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Anthony Stevens
It’s a problem common to every startup – how do you translate the BIG IDEA that you’ve come up with into a meaningful form that puts you in a good place to:
- validate your idea by running it by trusted friends and advisors
- attract potential investment
- work out usability issues before you’ve painted yourself in a corner
- finally, implement your idea in code
Somehow, you have to get your big idea described in a way that satisfies the above criteria. That’s where prototyping tools come in. They allow you to document the way your product or service will work, in a way that can be communicated amongst your team and other stakeholders or interested parties, and not take a lot of time or expense.
I’ve listed below a set of tools that are commonly used for prototyping GUIs, workflows, and UI/UX. It’s not comprehensive, but my goal was to list out all of the major tools and upcoming new tools that have a lot of buzz. I may follow up here or on my personal blog with in-depth reviews of selected tools that strike me as worthy of further investigation. Note that these are not in any particular order or preference.
MockupScreens ($99; http://www.mockupscreens.com/)
Windows-only, MockupScreens targets the “I need something simple” user and purports to allow you to create “5 screens in 10 minutes”. Free 30-day trial period if you want to take a deep look before buying.
JustProto (various; http://www.justproto.com/)
A completely web-based prototyping tool that has gotten some good mentions. Free for one project, and the pricing goes up from there to as much as $99/month.
Mockingbird (free; http://gomockingbird.com/)
This is a Cappuccino-based online app that allows for quick wireframing/prototyping in a browser environment. Looks simple and focused, but lacks the power of some of the other tools.
Serena Prototype Composer (free; http://www.serena.com/products/prototype-composer/index.html)
I don’t know anything about this tool, but it’s gotten some mentions and is worth looking at, considering the price. My initial look leads me to believe it may be targeted at more traditional IT departments, as a way to manage the requirements-gathering process for internal applications.
PowerPoint ($230; http://office.microsoft.com/powerpoint)
Lots and lots can be said about the pros and cons of using PowerPoint as a prototyping tool. Fight it out in the comments below. :)
Napkin Look and Feel (free; http://napkinlaf.sourceforge.net/)
This is an open-source tool based on the Java Swing framework. Kathy Sierra gave it high marks (in 2006!) and they have but one update in the ensuing three years. Staleware? Maybe. Still, worth a look.
Expression Blend 3 + Sketch Flow ($599; http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Sketchflow_Overview.aspx)
Lots of Windows shops speak highly of the new tools coming out for WPF and Silverlight, and Expression Blend + SketchFlow gets high marks for being able to allow you to seamlessly transition from the prototyping stage to the actual implementation.
Visio ($250; http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/)
Visio is the granddaddy of diagramming tools, and is still used by many people in the Windows-based world to create GUI prototypes and wireframes. It lacks the focus of some of the other tools, but it is extremely powerful and well-supported.
ForeUI ($79; http://www.foreui.com/)
ForeUI is a Java-based prototyping tool that looks pretty impressive and which has gotten some good reviews.
Gliffy ($5/user/month; http://www.gliffy.com/)
Gliffy is a Flash-based diagramming tool that is more multipurpose than most GUI prototyping tools – sort of a lightweight Visio, by the looks of it. They offer a free trial period.
Mockery ($119; http://getmockery.com/)
Mockery allows you to quickly produce designs tailored to a particular “theme”, such as Windows or Mac OS X. It appears to be a solo or small-team effort, led by Joel Anair.
iPlotz (various; http://iplotz.com/)
iPlotz is a Flash-based prototyping tool that has the unique approach of adding collaboration and task management features to the mockup process. They have a fairly complicated pricing scheme that gets you in the door for free.
FlairBuilder ($79, http://www.flairbuilder.com/)
FlairBuilder is a cross-platform prototyping tool that puts an emphasis on the interactivity of the resulting wireframe/mockup design.
Denim (free; http://dub.washington.edu:2007/denim/)
Denim is an early-stage tool for rough design mockups. It’s gotten a fair amount of buzz in online forums. I’ve read that it works really well with a tablet or pen-based input device.
Balsamiq Mockups ($79, http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockups)
Balsamiq has garnered a lot of buzz and attention for their Adobe AIR app. It comes available as a downloadable deskop app or as a plugin for common wiki and bug-tracking tools, and will be available soon as a web-hosted tool. There are dozens of in-depth blog reviews of this product, available for you to review via a simple Google Search.
OmniGraffle 5 ($99 std/$199 pro; http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/)
For OS X 10.5 users only. OmniGraffle has a devoted following and has a long history of excellent releases.
Axure RP Pro ($589; http://www.axure.com/)
Based on the reviews I’ve seen, Axure can lay claim to the “best GUI prototyping tool” crown, but it is fairly expensive. There are discounts for bulk license purchases and there is a free 30-day trial available.
Pencil (free; http://www.evolus.vn/Pencil/)
A free, open-source Firefox add-on for diagrams and GUI prototyping from within your FF browser.
So which should you choose? I don’t know – there are some great candidates to choose from. I’m in the BizSpark program with Microsoft so I have the advantage of being able to use their tools, so I will likely take a long look at SketchFlow.
Of course I haven’t mentioned a tool that a lot of people use and swear by – paper. Many people believe that software tools just get in the way of the creative process during the prototyping/wireframing phase, and use paper, index cards, Post-Its, or a whiteboard to capture the dynamic thoughts involved during this investigatory process. I love whiteboards and can’t argue against their use, but the advantage of software is that it allows you to collaborate across space and time with other people, which, in this interconnected, always-on virtual world, is a great thing to have.
I also haven’t mentioned graphics-only programs like Photoshop or Fireworks; lots of shops let their designers do prototyping using these or similar tools. Can’t say I’m a fan of that process, because the shiny, perfected look-and-feel get in the way of sharing the concepts and encouraging creative, no-holds-barred collaboration and comment.
If you have specific experiences with any of the above tools (or others!) and want to share, please leave a comment. The community thanks you in advance!
