Sketchboards: Discover Better + Faster UX Solutions The sketchboard is a low-fi technique that makes it possible for designers to explore and evaluate a range of interaction concepts while involving both business and technology partners. Unlike the process that results from wireframe-based design, the sketchboard quickly performs iterations on many possible solutions and then singles out the best user experience to document and build upon. It’s what we do well Designers love the “breakthrough moments” in a working relationship. Those times when you suddenly reveal a picture of a solution that really nails the problem and gives everyone on the team a reason to cheer. Such moments bring together many of the most valuable capabilities of a designer, as follows: The trouble is that these moments are all too rare on normal design and development projects. Where wireframes fear to tread The wireframe—default design tool of most UX professionals—is a significant part of this problem. Wireframes constrain your creativity.
Mockups – Balsamiq Take a second. Let it sink in. The first impression might be disorienting. There are very few interface elements on the screen. Start exploring however, and you'll find out that Mockups is filled with powerful yet only-visible-when-you-need-them features. Getting your ideas out should be effortless. We've been in business long enough that we think we have learned enough about ourselves, our product, our customers and our competitive space to be able to put a stake in the ground and tell the world what we're about. Our sweet spot: the ideation phase Mockups really shines during the early stages of designing a new interface. Mockups is zenware, meaning that it will help you get "in the zone", and stay there. Mockups offers the same speed and rough feel as sketching with pencil, with the advantage of the digital medium: drag & drop to resize and rearrange elements, make changes without starting over, and your work is clear enough that you'll make sense of them later. Skin: Ready to try it out?
Home - Pencil Project Responsive Comping: Obtaining Signoff without Mockups If you’re making websites, chances are you’ve given some thought to what constitutes a responsive-friendly design process—and you’ve probably found that adding a mockup for every breakpoint isn’t a sustainable approach. Article Continues Below At least, that’s what happened at my company, Bearded, where we had spent years creating websites in Photoshop or Illustrator, having those mockups approved by our clients, then recreating those designs with CSS. Until now. But fear not, gentle reader. Let’s talk process#section1 Before we begin designing, we work with our clients to clearly define and prioritize the information that will go on the site. Hierarchy, hierarchy, hierarchy#section2 Once we understand the purpose of the website as a whole, we’ll apply that goal to something finite and designable, like the homepage. Branding statement: The primary emotionally communicative element of the design. My other wireframe is an HTML#section3 Fear is the mind-killer#section5 So that’s it. “But wait!”