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Ask HN: What's your favorite UI Mockup tool?

by knarf55 on 8/27/11, 6:23 PM with 47 comments

  • by burnblue on 8/29/11, 3:30 AM

    I've gone through a bunch - Illustrator to Balsamiq to Mockflow and now HotGloo. I like Mockflow and HotGloo (both online fee-based apps) because they offer:

    (1) Master Pages (or at least Master Objects) to keep things DRY (2) a way for clients to view, navigate, and comment directly on the frames (3) a good balance: low-fi enough to avoid seeming like a design pass, but hi-fi enough that each object is distinct and recognizable (4) a good selection of resizable, customizable widgets (5) an environment separate from the design file. Unlike many, I actually prefer to start from scratch with the design - it frees me from conforming too tightly to the frames, and leaves open the possibility for further iteration. Also, it's handy when passing frames to a visual designer - they can use whatever design tool they like.

  • by plainOldText on 8/27/11, 7:24 PM

    Keynote for Mac. I love the fact it's so easy to use. And sometimes the mockups look so good you'll want to "lick them", to quote Steve Jobs. :))

  • by nolok on 8/27/11, 7:13 PM

    Balsamiq

  • by jjcm on 8/27/11, 7:08 PM

    Photoshop. I've become so accustomed over the years to the tools/interface, that it's actually faster than pen/paper. Setting it up with common UI elements to drop in quickly makes mockups a breeze.

  • by imjoel on 8/27/11, 7:23 PM

    The most efficient thing for me has been Illustrator w/ wireframe symbols. It's not so low fidelity that I can't envision the end products, additionally I enjoy the control vs. mockup tools like Balsamiq.

    There some good wireframing resources for Illustrator and other programs in this Smashing Magazine post: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/05/50-free-ui-and-we...

  • by bkbonner on 8/28/11, 1:26 AM

    Wireframe Sketcher in Eclipse http://www.wireframesketcher.com

  • by navs on 8/28/11, 2:00 AM

    Google docs, believe it or not. I found a nice wireframing set at the following address: http://mortenjust.com/2010/04/19/a-wireframe-kit-for-google-...

  • by pmorel on 9/2/11, 9:45 PM

    There're also SketchyPad and iMockups. I've created a list of the tools presented here, you can see it on http://www.romku.com/list/343849/ui-mockup-tools.

  • by knarf55 on 8/30/11, 11:25 PM

    Thanks again for all the feedback. I've been trying various tools and i've honestly been loving flairbuilder. Quick, simple to use, and it's highly interactive that's just built in. Haven't tried balsmiq yet but will give it a shot.

  • by imusicmash2 on 8/27/11, 8:19 PM

    as a product manager, I use 2 tools for wireframes and flow design

    Flairbuilder and OmniGraffle http://flairbuilder.com/ http://http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnigraffle/

    The Flairbuilder developer is quite active and responsive about updates. I switched here from Balsamic because Flairbuilder allows for somewhat dynamic & functional mockups.

    http://twitter.com/#!/flairbuilder

  • by stevelosh on 8/27/11, 7:15 PM

    A whiteboard, or Penultimate on the iPad if there's no whiteboard around.

  • by chime on 8/27/11, 7:48 PM

    I love Pencil for Firefox. It's seriously underrated: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/pencil/

  • by joshuabutner on 8/27/11, 7:53 PM

    Omnigraffle, Photoshop or paper. Although, seeing the templates created by Amir Khella (keynotopia.com) has made me want to try to use Fireworks a bit more for this.

  • by PCheese on 8/27/11, 7:50 PM

    Mockingbird - https://gomockingbird.com/

    Maybe it's just because I love web apps done with Cappuccino.

  • by ljf on 8/27/11, 7:09 PM

    Trying the templates in Keynotopia, they are good, but I think I need to work longer on paper before spending time in PowerPoint.

  • by benwerd on 8/27/11, 7:12 PM

    Sharpies and copier paper. Seriously: nothing else has been as efficient for me. (Although it depends on your Sharpie skillz.)

  • by elii on 8/30/11, 7:53 PM

  • by theitgirl on 8/29/11, 6:08 PM

    I have tried Pencil, Balsamiq, MockingBird and Google Docs. Google Drawings works best for me.

  • by Pickels on 8/27/11, 7:27 PM

    Fireworks

  • by graiz on 8/27/11, 6:38 PM

    A piece of paper.

  • by pwg on 8/27/11, 7:00 PM

    Paper first, a Tcl/Tk mockup second.

  • by Off on 8/27/11, 9:01 PM

    Pen and paper then Inkscape/Gimp.

  • by sixwing on 8/27/11, 7:49 PM

    in order of preference: 1. pen + paper 2. html + css 3. omnigraffle 4. photoshop

  • by filipmares on 8/27/11, 7:25 PM

    Paper 1st and then Keynote.

  • by abbasmehdi on 8/27/11, 7:04 PM

    Balsamiq

  • by mannicken on 8/28/11, 4:21 AM

    Paper, Illustrator, HTML.

  • by ct on 8/28/11, 5:20 AM

    Expression Sketchboard

  • by suhail on 8/27/11, 7:12 PM

    Photoshop

  • by ttk23 on 8/28/11, 5:25 AM

    html/css/js