Does anyone have a recommendation for easy web design and wireframe tools?
I have been using PowerPoint for both wireframing and design concepts. I don't think its bad for wireframing since it gets the concept across, but its definitely not the easiest tool for others to work with. I am not a designer, but a lot of times I have an idea that I want to convey to our team, including our design team. I keep using PowerPoint because I don't want to spend a lot of time to learn a new tool. That said, it's definitely not a design tool and I'd like to use something that better conveys the designs I am thinking. Thanks in advance.
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Aug 13, 2014
I LOVE using Axure for my prototyping and wire framing needs. With Axure you get to present your ideas in an interactive way to client before you get bogged down in the details of a design. I'm working on one right now which you can see here: ara.spacevibes.com/wires/v3/
Best,
Sirus
Aug 7, 2014
forget powerpoint,
professional used to use axure or balsamiq ... or i really like to use for first sketching blank paper :) very handy
Jul 23, 2014
Lucidchart has a great wireframe design tool! https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/wireframe-design-tool
Jul 14, 2014
Hello Mary,
We had used many wire frame tools for create site wire frame but we love most of below where you can get good wire frame by using require elements.
Gliffy, Jumpchart, MockFlow, Wirefy, Frame Box, Pencil Project, iPhone Mockup etc....
Thanks
Peter
Jul 9, 2014
Mary-Alice - Stick to PowerPoint. Get the latest version. It is a great tool for concept design. It is part of office suit so you dont have to pay extra. It has all necessary graphic elements to build wireframes. You can link slides with elements so sort of hyperlink demo can be created. May be get 'advanced' training on powerpoint - it has hidden features and I have created designs which people thought are done using Photoshop. You can do wonders using PowePoint simply.
Jun 27, 2014
A pretty good WYSIWYG design tool at a reasonable price is Freeway Pro. It allows you to import from Adobe, move things by dragging, and link pages etc...so you can even test functionality that you want.
It can also publish your site, but I'm not a fan of the SEO capabilities.
Jun 27, 2014
Mary-Alice,
you might find it more productive to use a free site builder like WIX (much more intuitive than wordpress)
Between the many templates (some responsive) and plugins, you can get a lot of mileage.
In addition, they will allow you to "publish" to a private sub-domain, this allows you have "friends & family" reviews, etc.
I have my site there and support is outstanding.
Regards,
Doug
Jun 25, 2014
Hey, Mary-Alice!
I personally use a combination of Omnigraffle, Balsamiq, and Sketch 3 (yes, the design software) to make most of my wireframes for clients. Another really good option for web/native application wireframing is Prototyper (http://www.justinmind.com/prototyper/free-edition). It has a ton of really sweet functionality, and doesn't skimp on features in the free version at all. I've never yet had a need to upgrade to the paid version, and I've been consulting for quite awhile.
Hope this helps!
Collin
Jun 23, 2014
For planning a website I found that http://slickplan.com site map tool works well.
Jun 23, 2014
Probably the best tool for presenting a design idea without actually building a web page is Photoshop. There is a learning curve but it is well worth it and I'm sure you would be able to put it to use in other things you do.
Alternatively you could use a simple web design tool, Google do one, I haven't tried it personally but it is available here: www.google.co.uk/webdesigner
Jun 22, 2014
Hi
There are many actually . My favorite is Lucidchart . The best part is this can talk to Google doc . In case you are Freelancer or working for start up . Google doc is amazing in sharing your idea Or you can also create with Photoshop . Hope this helps .
Regards
Jun 22, 2014
Ok if you want to pay try Balsamic or Axure, If you want to try out a lot of wireframing tools then try a bunch on google apps including the above mentioned if however you want a free wireframing toolkit try prototyper its a bit like Axure so the whole layout looks the same and handles in a similar fashion ......... Oh did I mention that you can upgrade to the pro version just incase you want to spend the cash. PS as Jeff has reccomended Muse is the latest offering from Adobe its a bit like flash but I would reccomend the responsive addon that Muse has because it really does make responsive design very easy and what Jeff Wtchel says is normally ....... no scratch that ALWAYS correct
Jun 22, 2014
Hi Mary-Alice,
I personally use Omnigraffle for any wireframing or engineering charts that I need to draft. The downside is that Omnigraffle is strictly for Macs.
http://www.omnigroup.com/omniGraffle
If you are not in a Mac environment, my client loves Visio for his wireframing projects. I am also intrigued about Jeff's answer, Adobe Muse. That is definitely worth researching.
Best of luck in your venture!
Jun 22, 2014
Hi Mary-Alice,
I highly recommend Adobe Muse. It's an easy-to-learn layout application for designing websites with no code. It's part of Adobe Creative Cloud, which can downloaded for free for a month-long trial.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Jeff
Jun 22, 2014
Take your pick - http://mashable.com/2010/07/15/wireframing-tools/
Personally, I have used mockflow and gliffy.